Kaitlyn Ross and World No. 7 Canada repeated their 2018 success as they secured the bronze medal on Saturday at the WBSC Women's Baseball World Cup Finals 2024 presented by CARNEXT with a 4-2 victory over No. 5 Mexico at Port Arthur Stadium in Thunder Bay, Canada.

Andréanne Léblanc played a key role in the victory with two doubles and two RBIs.

"It feels great, but I think it's not just me," she said to the WBSC after the game. "We worked as a team for the whole week and got where we wanted to be."



Canada were the youngest team in the WBSC Women's Baseball World Cup Finals 2024.

"I think we do have a young team, but we also have an experienced team," Léblanc noted. "Some of them haven't had opportunities to play in a World Cup, but a lot of them have been with this team for multiple years, hoping that we could get to this point. Now that we have this under our belt, it gives us a wonderful opportunity to go into the next three-year cycle."

Despite committing 15 errors during the Opening Round and adding two more in the bronze medal game, Canada displayed brilliant defensive plays.

""It was just the players getting into the groove," commented Pluta. "We had the chance to play for a medal and bring some hardware home, keeping it here in Canada. There was no adjustment. We just made a move in left field, switching out Emily Baxter with Tess Sawkins, and Tess made a great play in the sixth. The girls did exactly what they were supposed to. Even though we made a couple of mistakes, they battled through and stuck to who we are."

Léblanc added, "It was just stress. We have a lot of players appearing for the first time in a World Cup. I think we found our way and followed the path we wanted."

Reflecting on the future of women's sports, Léblanc concluded: "A lot of opportunities are coming for women in sports, not just baseball. I think someday we are going to have our big scene."

Ross was a dynamic force behind home plate providing great defense with 18 put outs and a perfect fielding percentage.