MARACAY, VENEZUELA -- Team USA was held to a one run and left 12 batters stranded on base in a 5-1 loss to Japan Thursday at Jose Casanova Stadium.

JeDURHAM, N.C. -- USA Baseball announced Saturday night that the 2010 Women’s National Team will return to action at the International Baseball Federation (IBAF) Women’s World Cup in Maracay, Venezuela on Sunday, August 15 versus Korea at 10 a.m. (10:30 a.m. ET).  Play at the Women’s World Cup has been suspended since Friday after a player from Hong Kong was struck by a bullet during a game against the Netherlands in Caracas.  The U.S. team, two time gold medalists in the event, has been playing pool play games in Maracay, Venezuela, three hours from Caracas, and as part of the IBAF’s plan moving forward all tournament games will be moved to Maracay.

“Whenever a USA Baseball National Team attends an international event, the safety of our players, coaches and staff is always the first thing we consider,” said Paul Seiler, USA Baseball’s Executive Director/CEO.  “After the events unfolded on Friday in Caracas, we worked very closely with our staff in country, security agents traveling with the team and the IBAF to insure this was a isolated incident and not specifically directed at the participants in the Women’s World Cup.”  

After extensive briefings and consultation on Saturday with IBAF and government officials, the U.S. federation’s security detail supports the findings of the Venezuelan authorities that the incident was the result of a firearm discharge from well beyond the perimeter of the stadium in Caracas and that the bullet was not intended for anyone associated with the Women’s World Cup.  To mitigate any further concerns about security at the venue in Caracas, the IBAF has moved all games scheduled for play in Caracas, including the semi-finals and finals, to Maracay.

“With the steps the IBAF and the local organizing committee have taken, in particular moving the tournament to Maracay, we and our security detail are confident that the U.S. team can have a safe and successful remainder of the tournament,” said Ashley Bratcher, USA Baseball’s Director of the Women’s National Team, who is traveling with the team in Venezuela.  “At no time was our delegation part of the incident in Caracas and we would like to the thank the IBAF for continued communication with our delegation over the past 24 hours.”

USA Baseball’s international security plan is broad based and includes advance work with the United States State Department, ongoing communication with the United States Embassy in country and security agents who travel with the organization’s National Teams.  Security agents have been part of the official Women’s National Team delegation since prior to the team’s departure from the United States and will continue to be with the team through their arrival back in the country.