Haylie McCleney and Team USA Softball to Face Japan in Gold Medal Game Tuesday
7/26/2021 11:36:00 AM | Softball
The game will air live July 27 at 6 a.m. CT on NBCSN
TOKYO – Alabama softball alum Haylie McCleney and Team USA finished pool play undefeated at the Tokyo Olympic Games, earning a spot in the gold medal game against Japan in a rematch of the most recent Olympic final in 2008.
The highly anticipated matchup will air live Tuesday, July 27 at 6 a.m. CT on NBCSN.
McCleney is leading the Team USA offense with a .643 batting average over five starts at the leadoff position, batting 9-for-14 with four walks and four runs scored. She scored the game-winning run in a 1-0 victory over Canada and in a 2-1 walk-off win over Australia. In the final game of pool play, McCleney broke up the no-hitter in the sixth inning and eventually scored the tying run, setting up a walk-off victory for Team USA in the next inning.
At Alabama, McCleney was the program's sixth four-time All-American (2013-16), including three first-team nods. She remains the Crimson Tide's career leader in batting average (.447), on base percentage (.569) and triples (16) along with top-five marks in 10 other categories. She was equally successful off the field, twice being named the CoSIDA Academic All-American of the Year for softball as well as being named the 2016 SEC H. Boyd McWhorter Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year, Senior CLASS Award winner and NCAA Top 10 honoree.
USA Softball Pool Play Results
- W, 2-0 vs. Italy
- W, 1-0 vs. Canada
- W, 2-0 vs. Mexico
- W, 2-1 vs. Australia
- W, 2-1 vs. Japan
For the latest information on the team, follow @AlabamaSB on Twitter, BamaSB on Instagram and Alabama Softball on Facebook. General athletic news can also be found at UA_Athletics on Twitter and Instagram and AlabamaAthletics on Facebook.
