THUNDER BAY, Ontario – The U.S. Women's National Team will compete for the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Women’s Baseball World Cup Championship this Saturday, at 3:00 p.m. ET in a matchup against Japan at Port Arthur Stadium in Thunder Bay, Ontario.

WHERE TO WATCH

WBSC announced today the contest will be streamed for free on MLB platforms including MLB.com, MLB.TV, and the MLB mobile app. The game will also be available to watch on GameTime.

PITCHING MATCHUP

RHP Miyu Shimizu (JPN) vs. RHP Jillian Albayati (USA)

LAST TIME OUT

Team USA won its fifth and final game of round-robin play on Thursday, beating the same Japan team, 4-3, in extra innings to improve to 5-0. After a pitcher’s duel that lasted through three complete, two-way player Albayati came through with a two-out, three-run home run to give the U.S. a 3-0 lead. That lead only lasted two innings, as Japan came knocking at the door in the sixth and tied the game at 3-3 before Meggie Meidlinger got the U.S. out of trouble. Patient at-bats and a timely balk allowed Team USA to take a 4-3 lead in extra innings, allowing Meidlinger to shut the door in the bottom of the eighth.

This win extended Team USA’s unbeaten streak to 10 games and put a halt to Japan’s 39-game win streak, which dates back to 2012.

GOLD MEDAL GAME HISTORY

The Women’s National Team possesses four gold medals and is seeking its first title since winning the Pan American Baseball Confederation (COPABE) Women’s Pan-American Championships in 2019.

The U.S. Women’s National Team has competed in six gold medal games since its inception in 2004, last winning a World Cup gold medal in 2006 after beating Japan 13-11, in the International Baseball Federation (IBAF) World Cup Championship in Taipei, Taiwan. In those six gold medal games, Team USA is 4-2 overall, with those two losses being at the hands of Japan (2012, 2014).

HISTORY AGAINST JAPAN

Team USA’s Women’s National Team has played Japan 16 times since 2004, with an overall record of 8-8. Four of those games have been gold medal games, where the series is also evenly split (2-2). All previous gold medal matchups against Japan have been decided by three runs or less. Before Thursday, Japan’s last loss occurred during the 2012 IBAF Women’s Baseball World Cup, when Team USA beat Japan by a score of 5-2 in a pool play contest.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENT

Japan enters the gold medal contest with a record of 4-1 in the 2024 World Cup Finals, including two run-rule victories. Over five games, Japan has scored 40 runs and has held opponents to 14 total runs, with only five being earned. Four Japanese batters hold .500 batting averages or greater while the pitching staff boasts a 1.03 ERA.

Japan’s starter, Shimizu, has made one appearance in the World Cup Finals in which she tossed 5.2 innings against Canada, allowing only three hits and three runs to score. At the plate, Japan is led by Miu Shiraishi, who is batting .615 with a tournament-best seven RBIs and four doubles.

INSIDE THE ROSTER

The Women’s National Team is filled with a plethora of experience, as Anna Kimbrell, Meggie Meidlinger, and Kelsie Whitmore alone have a combined 29 seasons of experience on the team.

In this World Cup Finals, Team USA has proven its balance as a team, both offensively and defensively. Eight players hold a batting average of .300 or greater, highlighted by a strong showing from Remi Schaber who leads the team in hits (6) while riding a four-game hit streak. Albayati, Schaber, and Valerie Perez have driven in 5+ runs apiece for the Stars and Stripes while Albayati, Alex Hugo, and Denae Benites each have tallied a home run.

On the bump, the team owns a 2.00 ERA while surrendering a mere eight runs throughout five games. Jamie Baum leads the team in innings pitched (7.2) while Whitmore and Olivia Pichardo have each thrown 4.0 quality innings thrown in which only two hits were registered.

AT THE HELM

Leading Team USA is five-time Team USA player and three-time manager Veronica Alvarez. This will be Alvarez’s second time coaching a gold medal game, as she managed the 2019 squad to a COPABE Pan-American Championship. She is joined by pitching coach Reynol Mendoza and assistant coach Alex Oglesby, both of whom were on the title-winning coaching staff. Rounding out the staff is Malaika Underwood, an 11-time Team USA player, and three-time gold medalist who is in her second year as a Women’s National Team assistant coach.

SOCIAL MEDIA

To follow along with all the action with the Women’s National Team, be sure to follow @USABaseballWNT on Twitter and @USABaseball on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter.