Players in Canada-USA friendship series in Thunder Bay hope it's a win for women's baseball

Elite-level, international baseball returns to northern Ontario this week as Thunder Bay hosts a five-game friendship series between the Canadian and U.S. national women's teams.

It's the first international competition for both sides since the 2019 COPABE Women's Pan-American Championships in Mexico, where the Americans won gold. Both Canada and USA are in the top five of the world rankings.

Players are looking for wins on and off the field, as they also hope to bring more awareness to women's baseball.

"When you're younger, it's like, 'Oh, you're switching to softball, right?' Like, 'Girls play softball, right?' No. We're here to show that we play baseball," said Zoe Hicks, who's at third base for her first time with the Canadian national team, under manager Ashley Stephenson, a former hockey and baseball player from Ontario.

Hicks grew up playing softball and competed on a college team, but during a trip home one summer, she ended up on the senior boys' team from her old high school.

"From there, I just fell in love with it," Hicks said about baseball.

She was recruited to play with Team Manitoba before making the national women's team.

Hicks said it's important to show younger girls that they can choose to play baseball.

"I think it's big to be representations of what little girls want to be, and show them that this is possible and this is an opportunity that is going to be afforded to them."

During a practice the morning before the first game Thursday, Malaika Underwood shouted encouragements from first base to her fellow American teammates.

At 41, Underwood is the oldest player on the U.S. team and has been playing with the national team since 2006.

"When I was growing up in San Diego, I thought I was the only girl