Hitchcock contributes to strong finish for Puerto Rico

Rainbow Wahine pitcher Brittany Hitchcock closed her week at the World Cup of Softball with two wins in five appearances in Puerto Rico’s run to a third-place finish in the eight-team tournament in Irvine, Calif.

Hitchcock gave up one run in 2 2/3 innings of relief and earned the win in Puerto Rico’s 3-2 victory over Japan on Saturday morning. The win gave Puerto Rico the fourth seed going into Sunday’s play and the team knocked off third-seeded Canada 3-2 behind a complete-game effort by Florida State’s Meghan King.

After picking up a win relief against Venezuela on Monday, Hitchcock was roughed up in Puerto Rico’s 14-1 loss to the U.S. (two innings, seven hits, eight earned runs) and an 11-2 loss to Canada (5 IP, 10 H, 11 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 2 K).

But she bounced back with an inning of scoreless relief against Mexico on Friday and Saturday’s four-hit performance in the win over Japan. She struck out five and walked four in 13 2/3 innings in the tournament.

Japan went on to claim the second seed and lost to the U.S. national team 6-1 in Sunday’s finale.

Hitchcock’s stint with Team Puerto Rico continues north with the Canadian Open Fastpitch International Championship in Surrey, British Columbia. Team Puerto Rico opens the tournament with a rematch with Japan on Tuesday.

Other teams entered in the international division are Canada, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Spain, NJCAA All Stars and the Rivercity Hornets.