A 7-0 victory over Brazil on Sunday evening officially punched the Canadian squad’s ticket to Tokyo next summer. Larissa Franklin was the offensive MVP for her team, after her RBI triple in the second inning opened the scoring and her 2-run single in the third inning helped break the game open for Canada.
Kaleigh Rafter added a solo home run in the bottom of the fifth inning that clinched the run-rule victory for Canada. Danielle Lawrie pitched a complete-game, one-hit shutout.
By appearing in the 2020 Games, Canada becomes just the third country to officially earn a berth in every Olympic Games where softball has been offered, having also appeared on the diamond during the 1996, 2000, ’04, and ’08 Games. China or Australia could also join those ranks by winning the Asia/Oceania qualifier next month.
Hosting the Americas Qualifier – the only continental Olympic qualifier that issued a pair of invitations to the 2020 Games – the Canadian team entered the week as overwhelming favorites to reach Tokyo. A 2-1 loss to Mexico on Saturday made the game against Brazil a must-win for the Canadians’ Olympic hopes.
In officially realizing their Olympic dream, Canada becomes the third team from North America and the fifth overall to clinch a spot in Tokyo. Host Japan, Italy, Mexico, and the United States are also in the Olympic field; the final berth will be earned by the winner of the Asia/Oceania Qualifier in September.
