Haylie McCleney and Montana Fouts Win Gold With USA Softball at World Games 2022
7/14/2022 1:07:00 PM | Softball
McCleney named World Games 2022 MVP with .533 batting average
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – USA Softball took home its third-straight gold medal at the World Games 2022 this week at the Hoover Metropolitan Complex in Hoover, Ala., with Alabama All-Americans Haylie McCleney and Montana Fouts leading the way for the red, white and blue.
McCleney was named the World Games MVP, batting 8-for-15 (.533) across five games with four runs scored, five RBIs and a pair of doubles. She helped clinch USA's spot in the gold medal game with a 3-for-3 day with three RBIs against Australia on Tuesday. A native of Morris, Ala., and a four-time All-American at Alabama from 2013-16, McCleney has been a member of Team USA since 2014 including last summer at the Tokyo Olympics.
Fouts made two appearances for Team USA, striking out 13 batters across 5.0 shutout innings pitched with just two baserunners allowed. This year marked Fouts' first selection to the national team's roster, previously trying out in the fall of 2019 after competing with the U19 team the previous summer, earning a third-place finish at the International Cup. Fouts is a three-time All-American with the Crimson Tide and will return to Tuscaloosa with one season of eligibility remaining in 2022-23.
Team USA qualified for the gold medal game following wins over Italy (6-0), Chinese Taipei (7-0), Canada (10-2) and Australia (5-0), setting up a Tokyo Olympics rematch Wednesday night against Japan. In front of a packed house at the Hoover Metropolitan Stadium, a three-run double from Janae Jefferson and stellar pitching performances from Monica Abbott and Ally Carda secured the 3-2 victory for the United States.
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.
