YOKOHAMA, Japan (AP) — Canada won its first Olympic medal in softball, taking the bronze with a 3-2 victory over Mexico on Tuesday behind 2 1/3 innings of scoreless, one-hit relief from Danielle Lawrie, the sister of former major leaguer Brett Lawrie.
Lawrie (1-1), a veteran of Canada’s 2008 Olympic team and the 2009 and ’10 USA college player of the year at the University of Washington, relieved with runners at the corners in the fifth and retired Victoria Vidales on a groundout. Lawrie struck out four, fanning Brittany Cervantes to end it.
Tucson native Kelsey Harshman, a Sabino High School alumna, broke a 2-2 tie in the fifth with a sacrifice fly for the Canadians, who went 4-2, finishing behind the U.S. (5-0) and Japan (4-1).
In a game played in intermittent light rain, Emma Entzminger put Canada ahead with a two-run single in the second off former Arizona Wildcat Danielle O’Toole (0-2), but Mexico tied the score on RBI singles by Cervantes in the third off starter Sara Groenewegen and by Suzy Brookshire in the fifth against Jenna Caira.
Mexico’s Danielle O’Toole fields a groundout against Canada at the 2020 Summer Olympics on July 27, 2021, in Yokohama, Japan.
No. 9 hitter Janet Leung beat out an infield single to shortstop leading off the bottom half of the fifth and Victoria Hayward beat out a bunt single. Larissa Franklin sacrificed, and Harshman flied to left as Leung scored standing up as the throw was cut off.
O'Toole pitched 17 innings for Team Mexico, while fellow ex-Wildcat Taylor McQuillin made one appearance during the Tokyo Olympics.
The U.S., with ex-UA standout catcher Dejah Mulipola, and defending champion Japan will meet later Tuesday for the gold medal game at 4 a.m.
