Tag Archives: Ali Aguilar

Anissa Urtez Named to Olympic Softball All-Tournament Team at Tokyo Games

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2020 Tokyo Games

Anissa Urtez is an Olympic all-star…

The 26-year-old Mexican American softball player, representing Mexico at the 2020 Tokyo Games, has been named to the Olympic softball all-tournament team.

Anissa Urtez

Urtez was picked as the all-tournament shortstop.

During the fifth inning in Mexico’s game against Japan on Thursday, July 22, Urtez sent Japanese legend Yukiko Ueno’s pitch over the fence for a home run.

It was the first home run in the Olympic Games by a player from the Mexican National Team.

while her real-life fiancée Amanda Chidester of the United States was picked as the designated player.

Urtez’s Mexican teammate Suzy Brookshire was picked as the right fielder.

Yamato Fujita of Japan was named most valuable player of the tournament. She hit .389 with three homers and seven RBI in six games for Japan, which beat the U.S. 2-0 on Tuesday for its second straight title.

Four Americans were selected for the all-tournament team, with Chidester joined by left-hander Monica Abbott, second baseman Ali Aguilar and centerfielder Haylie McCleney.

The team also included right-hander Yukiko Ueno and third baseman Yu Yamamoto of Japan and catcher Kaleigh Rafter and first baseman Jenn Salling of Canada.

Also selected were Italian left fielder Laura Vigna and Japanese first baseman Minori Naito, who was picked as the best defensive player.

The team was picked by the World Baseball Softball Confederation and the Tokyo Olympic organizing committee.

Ali Aguilar & Rachel Garcia: First American Latinx Athletes to Win Medals at the Tokyo Games

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2020 Tokyo Games

Ali Aguilar and Rachel Garcia are silver belles… 

The 25-year-old Latina softball player and the 24-year-old Latina softball player are the first American Latinx athletes to claim a medal at the 2020 Tokyo Games.

Team USA Softball

Aguilar, Garcia and their Team USA mates had to settle for the silver after losing the gold medal match in softball to Japan by a score of 2-0.

As with any high-stakes softball game, there were many little moments that ultimately proved crucial. But the entire game was summed up in the bottom of the sixth. With two on and one out and slugger Amanda Chidester up, a moment that will be remembered for a long time by the players in this game unfolded.

Chidester hit a rocket down the third-base line that smashed into Japan third baseman Yu Yamamoto‘s arm. At that point, the ball could’ve gone anywhere, and it seemed certain the Americans were going to get one run and maybe even two. But the ball bounded right to shortstop Mana Atsumi, who made a leaping catch and doubled off a runner to end the inning.

The stunned looks on the U.S. faces following that moment summed up the game.

“Fortune went the way of Japan on that,” said U.S. coach Ken Eriksen. “It wasn’t our day, we had some bad luck.”

It’s the first Olympic medal for Aguilar and Garcia.

Aguilar and Her Teammates Lead the U.S. Women’s Softball Team to First World Title in Six Years

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It’s turned out to be a special weekend for Ali Aguilar…

The Latina softball player helped lead the United States women’s softball team to its first softball world title in six years.

United States women's softball team

Aguilar and her teammates took back the World Baseball Softball Confederation World Championship on Sunday, beating Japan 7-3 in the championship game in Surrey, British Columbia.

The Americans, who had won seven previous championships before Japan took the title in 2012 and 2014, got three-run home runs from Michelle Moultrie and Haylie McCleney, and raced out to a 7-1 lead in the fourth inning. Japan pitcher Yamato Fujita came on in relief and shut down the U.S. the rest of the way, striking out seven.

McCleney, who was a four-time All-American at Alabama, also came up with a defensive gem for the Americans, throwing out a runner at the plate from center field in the third inning.

Japan cut the lead to 7-3 with solo home runs from Haruna Sakamoto in the fourth inning and Misato Kawano in the fifth.

Aguilar had a pair of hits for the U.S. team and drove in the game’s first run, scoring Jazmyn Jackson, who had doubled, in the first inning. Aguilar scored on Moultrie’s home run.

Jessica Moore, one of four pitchers for the United States, picked up the win in the final.

The U.S. won all nine of its tournament games. Japan lost twice to the Americans.