By ERIC PAUL JOHNSON / STAFF WRITER
IRVINE, Calif. – IRVINE – Jessica Plaza was looking for a pitch she could square up. When it finally came, Plaza didn’t miss her chance.
Plaza crushed a two-run home run to left field in the top of the sixth inning as USA defeated Venezuela, 5-0, in its World Cup of Softball IX pool-play opener Tuesday at Bill Barber Park.
“I was just looking for a good pitch, one that I could hit for a line drive,” said Plaza, who graduated from Huntington Beach Edison and plays at Stanford. “We popped up way too many balls, including myself, so it felt good to get a hold of one.”