Click here for link to the KFC World Cup Web site.
Christina Gwyn recently had the opportunity to play with the Dominican Republic team during the 2007 KFC World Cup at Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City, July 12-16.
The six-foot BYU pitcher finished her junior year 17-10 with a 3.35 ERA for the Cougars before joining the Dominican Republic team.
"It was very nice to see all of my hard work pay off," Gwyn said. "It was fun playing with the girls from the Dominican because they were really accepting of me, and it was great to compete against some of the greatest players in the world."
After facing the Dominican Rebuplic team when she was playing for the Wilson Team Select, Gwyn was asked to join the Dominican team for the World Cup because of injuries its players had sustained.
Gwyn appeared in four games during her World Cup outing. Her most notable appearance was against the United States, where she came in relief in the third inning and held team USA scoreless for three innings.
"It was great because we had nothing to lose going into the game against the USA," Gwyn said. "I was able to go out there and give it everything because there was no pressure. It felt good."
Her first appearance came against Japan on July 12, and she appeared the following day against Venezuela, pitching a complete game both outings.
Gwyn's final appearance came Monday when she pitched a complete seven innings against Venezuela. She held the team to three runs, giving up five hits and striking out three batters.
"Christina has a tremendous ability to pitch, and her appearance at the national level facing team USA should give her incredible confidence coming into her senior year," BYU head coach Gordon Eakin said. "She represented us well."
Neither the Wilson Select Team nor the Dominican Republic will continue to play for the remainder of the summer. Gwyn will return to BYU in the fall to compete in her senior season.