June 22, 2007

ENSCHEDE, Netherlands - Donna Kerr pitched three innings of no-hit ball with seven strikeouts and the offense pounded out 10 hits as the USA Junior Team opened up play Friday morning with an 11-0, five-inning win over Puerto Rico at the Junior World Softball Championships. Michigan State sophomore Bianca Mejia served as the designated player for Team USA in the opening game of the tournament.

The USA got on the board in the first inning when Monica Harrison singled through the left side to drive in GiOnna DiSalvatore. That would be enough for the pitching staff, but the USA poured on 10 more runs, ending the game due to the run-ahead rule.

"I thought we came out pretty good," said head coach Jay Miller. "We got a great performance out of Donna Kerr and the offense came around. We scored in each inning, which is a good sign. We weren't sitting around and coasting on the lead. Defensively, we need to get a little tighter, but we'll get that worked out."

Kerr faced nine batters and struck out seven of them, throwing just 43 pitches. Megan Langenfeld pitched the final two innings, allowing one hit while striking out one.

The Red, White and Blue broke things open in the third inning, scoring six runs, highlighted by Rosey Neill's two-RBI triple to the gap. Maggie Viefhaus drove in two with a double while Neena Bryant and Ashley Hansen also had an RBI in the inning.

At the plate, Bryant led the way with two hits and an RBI. Katie Schroeder, Brittany Lastrapes, DiSalvatore, Viefhaus, Harrison, Hansen, Tiffany Huff and Neill each had one hit in the game.

The USA (1-0) will face Australia (1-0) Friday night in its second game of the tournament. First pitch is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. local time/2:00 p.m. ET.