DALLAS, Texas (September 2, 2024) — The U.S. U-18 Women’s National Team (WNT) clinched its spot in the 2025 WBSC U-18 World Cup Finals with a 7-0 run-rule victory over Canada in the final game of the Group C Stage Event. The U.S. and Canada met in a highly anticipated No. 1 vs No. 2 matchup, while Australia and Mexico finished in the No. 3 and No. 4 spots, respectively. The win also sent Canada to face Mexico — who defeated Australia earlier in the day — for the second spot in the Finals.
The game saw standout performances from the U.S. offense, led by Townsen Thomas, who went 3-for-4 at the plate, and Harlie Chism and Ella McDowell, both finishing 2-for-3. On the mound, Addisen Fisher was dominant, allowing just three hits over six innings and recording eight strikeouts. After a slow start offensively, the U.S. took the lead in the bottom of the third inning, as a string of singles set up McDowell to drive in the first run, giving the Red, White, and Blue a 1-0 lead.
Though the fourth inning was quiet, the U.S. offense exploded in the fifth inning, capitalizing on fielding errors from the Canadian defense. Thomas and Elsa Morrison applied pressure, helping the team score three more runs. Later, Bella Ruggiero smacked a double to left field, adding two more runs to extend the lead to 6-0. In the bottom of the sixth inning, a series of singles and a double from Morrison drove in the final run, completing the 7-0 shutout win in walk-off fashion.
This victory marked the third consecutive shutout and fifth overall for Team USA in the tournament. The U-18 WNT finished the Group C event with an undefeated record, defeating Ireland, Australia, Canada, Mexico, and the Philippines. Leading the offense for the U.S. was McDowell, with a .733 batting average, followed by Thomas at .684 and McLaine Hudson at .526. The pitching staff, consisting of Fisher, Lexie Hames, Cameryn Harrison, and Saylor Timmerman, combined for 41 strikeouts, allowed just eight hits, and gave up only one run during the tournament.
Team USA finished the event atop eight offensive categories and three pitching categories, including batting average (McDowell – .733), hits (Thomas – 13), home runs (McDowell, Wells – 2), RBI (Allen, Wells – 9), runs scored (Hudson, Wells – 9), on-base percentage (McDowell – .750), slugging percentage (McDowell – 1.267), and hits allowed (Timmerman – 0).
The 2025 WBSC U-18 World Cup Finals will be held in Dallas, Texas, and will feature the top two teams from each of the Group events (Groups A, B, and C) as well as two wild card selections.