CLEARWATER, FL, USA – The final day of the preliminary round robin portion included a dramatic walk-off win by Puerto Rico to secure the top seed in their pool, while Ireland was able to win their first-ever game a world championship as they make their world debut.

It took until the final game of the night to determine the final seeding of each team heading into the next round. Eight teams advanced to the Championship Round in a battle For the Title of World Champion, while all the remaining teams will continue on to define the final positioning of each of the record-high 26 nations in the U-19 world championship.

The national teams to survive through into the Playoffs include No. 1 Japan, No. 2 United States, No. 3 Canada, No. 4 Australia, No. 6 China, No. 7 Puerto Rico, No. 9 Chinese Taipei, and No. 13 Czech Republic.

Nations finishing third and fourth in pool play will be placed in a placement pool and play in a double page system to determine 9th to 16th Place. Nations finishing lower than 4th Place in their respective pools will compete against each other in a single elimination format for 17th to 26th Place.

POOL A

No. 12 Italy (3-2) v South Africa (1-4)
7-0 (5 innings)

Box Score
Play-by-Play

Italy easily handled South Africa to earn their third win of this year’s world championship. It took them an inning to get things going before two runs crossed in the 2nd and 3rd innings and another three runs scored in the 5th inning. Alessandra Rotondo led all batters going 3-for-3 with one RBI, while Elisa Princic was the only batter who hit anything more than a single. Sara Riboldi pitched the one-hit complete game striking out six.

Win: Sara RIBOLDI
Loss: Chesternay FORTUIN

Next Up
Italy: 27 July at 1:00pm against Chinese Taipei
South Africa: 27 July at 4:00pm against Guatemala

No. 2 USA (5-0) v No. 17 Philippines (4-2)
15-0 (4 innings)

Box Score
Play-by-Play

USA defeated Philippines 15-0 as two pitchers combined to throw a shutout, while Nicole Bates went 4-for-4 at the plate and singled in each inning. Natalie Lugo earned the win for pitching three innings and striking out five.

Win: Natalie LUGO
Loss: Sierra LANGE

Next Up
USA: 27 July at 6:00pm against Chinese Taipei
Philippines finished with the #3 seed. They will play tomorrow at 7:00pm against Dominican Republic.

No. 9 Chinese Taipei (5-0) v No. 12 Italy (3-3)
3-0

Box Score
Play-by-Play

Chinese Taipei defeated Italy to remain undefeated. Tzu-Lin Chiang led the 2nd inning off with a single and advanced to third on two straight ground outs, then scored on a wild pitch to make it 1-0. The Asians extended their lead in the 3rd scoring three. Huei-Hsuan Chen walked to reach base and was batted in off a ground out by Yu-Ting Chen, then Yi Yen singled and later scored from a defensive error. The win qualifies Chinese Taipei for the playoffs, but will need to defeat USA tonight to earn the #1 seed.

Win: Ya-Ting TU
Loss: Carlotta SALIS

Next Up
Chinese Taipei: 27 July at 6:00pm against USA
Italy finished with the #4 seed. They will play tomorrow at 11:30am against New Zealand.

No. 20 Guatemala (2-4) v South Africa (1-5)
4-1

Box Score
Play-by-Play

Guatemala earned their second win of the championship, defeating South Africa 4-1. South Africa struck first when Shane Luyt scored in the 2nd inning. But Guatemala came back in the 5th inning, scoring all of their four runs. Nichole McClendon and Kimberly Hurtarte both doubled in the game as Ana Morales, Angela Alvarado, Fernanda Cruz, and Keileen Mendez each batted in a runner. Josselline Monge pitched the complete game giving up two hits, striking out eight, while walking three.

Win: Josselline MONGE
Loss: Grivonne RHODA

Next Up
Guatemala finished with the #5 seed. They will play tomorrow at 5:00pm against winner of Bahamas/Korea
South Africa finished with the #6 seed. They will play tomorrow at 2:00pm against India.

No. 2 USA (6-0) v No. 9 Chinese Taipei (5-1)
9-1 (6 innings)

Box Score
Play-by-Play

In the head to head battle of the two undefeated teams to determine who would finish with the #1 seed and have an extra life in the playoffs, Madilyn Nickles drove in five on three hits to lead USA past Chinese Taipei 9-1. Nickles drove in runs on a double in the third, a single in the fourth, and a home run in the sixth. Dejah Mulipola also homered in the game. Holly Azevedo earned the win for throwing four innings, giving up one run on two hits while striking out three.

Win: Holly AZEVEDO
Loss: Ya-Ting TU
Save: Mariah LOPEZ

Next Up
USA finished with the #1 seed. They will play tomorrow at 7:30pm against Puerto Rico.
Chinese Taipei finished with the #2 seed. They will play tomorrow at 12:00pm against Czech Republic.

POOL B

No. 11 Brazil (3-2) v No. 37 Israel (0-5)
8-0 (5 innings)

Box Score
Play-by-Play

Brazil defeated Israel 8-0 in the first game of the day in Pool B by scoring three runs in the 2nd, two runs in the 3rd, and another three runs in the 4th. Amanda Matsuzaka hit a double, while Rebeca Diniz, Leticia Yoshie, Caroline Ueda, and Erika Yatabe batted runners in. Beatrice Nakae earned the win, giving up two hits to Shany Abdelas and Alisa Stuchevski while striking out three and walking only one.

Win: Beatrice NAKAE
Loss: Anna RUDENSKY

Next Up
Brazil: 27 July at 4:30pm against Peru
Israel: 27 July at 1:30pm against Australia

No. 8 Netherlands (3-3) v No. 21 Peru (2-3)
5-2

Box Score
Play-by-Play

Netherlands was able to plate five runners to win over Peru 5-2 in the final pool play game for the Dutch. The game was scoreless through four innings until Ismay Poot started the 5th inning off with a single. The next batter, Tammie Lijbers, then doubled down the left field line to score Poot. The next inning, they struck again to score Feline Poot off a ground out to 3rd. Peru tied the game up in the bottom half when Pamela Hirakata and Natalie Alegria were driven in on a single to right field. But Netherlands got their bats going in the top of the 7th to score three runs on four hits, including a double by Rhowan Stuart to make the game 5-2.

Win: Roos-Marijn KRAMER
Loss: Michelle IPARRAGUIRRE
Save: Nicole VAN EIJL

Next Up
Netherlands finished with the #4 seed. They will play tomorrow at 1:30pm against Great Britain.
Peru: 27 July at 4:30pm against Brazil

No. 4 Australia (5-1) v Israel (0-6)
20-0 (3 innings)

Box Score
Play-by-Play

Australia earned the #2 seed in Pool B defeating Israel in a blow out game. The Aussies opened the game scoring 14 runs in the 1st, followed by three runs each in the 2nd and 3rd. Tamieka Whitefield, Rhiannon Kemp, and Brianna Trim each tripled, while Shannon Keevers, Kemp, and Trim doubled. Georgia Hood earned the win throwing three shut-out innings, striking out seven and only walking two.

Win: Georgia HOOD
Loss: Alisa STUCHEVSKI

Next Up
Australia finished with the #2 seed. They will play tomorrow at 2:00pm against China.
Israel finished with the #7 seed. They will play tomorrow at 7:30pm against Ireland.

No. 11 Brazil (4-2) v No. 21 Peru (2-4)
7-5

Box Score
Play-by-Play

Brazil and Peru played a close match as both teams exchanged runs, but Brazil came from behind to score three and earn the win. Brazil scored first in the bottom of the 1st inning, but Peru took the lead 2-1 in the 2nd. Brazil struck again in the 3rd to score three runs to make it 4-1. But Peru came back to tie the game up and in the top of the 6th, took over the lead plating one runner. With their last opportunity, Brazil pushed three runners home to earn the 7-5 win over their regional counterpart. Tammy Shiroma, Gabriela Da Silva, and Beatrice Nakae each hit triples in the game for Brazil.

Win: Priscilla SHIOMATSU
Loss: Natalie ALEGRIA

Next Up
Brazil finished with the #3 seed. They will play tomorrow at 4:30pm against Mexico.
Peru finished with the #5 seed. They will play tomorrow at 7:30pm against the winner of South Africa/India.

No. 1 Japan (6-0) v Bahamas (4-2)
17-0 (4 innings)

Box Score
Play-by-Play

The No. 1 women’s national team in the world easily handled newcomers Bahamas in a 17-0 match. The undefeated Japan has now earned the #1 seed going into the Championship Round. Miyu Miyamoto hit a double and a home run with four RBIs, as Chisora Mihara, Shino Satake, Ayaka Kono, and Azumi Takahashi joined her in hitting extra-base hits. Kiyomi Ito pitched the complete game allowing one hit while striking out two.

Win: Kiyomi ITO
Loss: Antonia COOPER

Next Up
Japan finished with the #1 seed. They will play tomorrow at 5:00pm against Canada.
Bahamas finished with the #6 seed. They will play tomorrow at 12:00pm against Korea.

POOL C

No. 24 Dominican Republic (3-2) v No. 36 India (0-5)
14-2 (5 innings)

Box Score
Play-by-Play

Dominican Republic overpowered India 14-2 in the day’s first game in Pool C. However, the two losses suffered earlier in the week ended the Caribbean’s chances of advancing to the Championship Round. Dominican Republic scored all the runs they needed in the 2nd inning by scoring three, but added to the total with two runs in the 3rd, six runs in the 4th, followed by three additional runs in the 5th. Daniela Bautista, Alexandra Mena, Jayla Alexa Perez each pushed three runs across the plate. Rosa Perez earned the win striking out two and walking four while giving up just one hit.

Win: Rosa Perez
Loss: Pooja PARKHE

Next Up
Dominican Republic finished with the #3 seed. They will play tomorrow at 7:00pm against Philippines.
India finished with the #6 seed. They will play tomorrow at 2:00pm against South Africa.

No. 5 New Zealand (2-3) v No. 30 Argentina (1-4)
9-4

Box Score
Play-by-Play

New Zealand defeated Argentina 9-4 in an important game to decide who advances to the Placement Round. The Junior White Sox scored all the runs they needed in the 2nd inning to plate six. Argentina tried chipping away at the lead, but ran out of innings and had to settle for a loss. Hayley Carter and Mereana Makea each doubled, while Kelley Renner was the only player in the game to record multiple hits.

Win: Brooke GLASSIE
Loss: Sophie FARIGLIANO

Next Up
Argentina finished with the #5 seed. They will play tomorrow at 5:00pm against Turkey.
New Zealand finished with the #4 seed. They will play tomorrow at 11:30am against Italy.

No. 7 Puerto Rico (5-0) v No. 13 Czech Republic (4-1)
2-1

Box Score
Play-by-Play

In a game that decided who would receive the #1 seed and double lives in the Championship Round, Puerto Rico edged out Czech Republic with a walk-off 2-1 win. The two evenly matched teams entered the game with no losses and battled throughout. Czech Republic got on top in the 6th inning as Veronika Klimplova scored the team’s only run. But the Europeans got into trouble in the bottom of the 7th as they loaded the bases with no outs. Ariella Jackson then smashed the ball down the left field line to plate two and receive the walk off win in dramatic fashion. Allison Marcano pitched the complete game giving up three hits, walking two, and striking out four.

Win: Allison MARCANO
Loss: Katelyn HUMHEJ

Next Up
Puerto Rico finished with the #1 seed. They will play tomorrow at 7:30pm against USA.
Czech Republic finished with the #2 seed. They will play tomorrow at 12:00pm against Chinese Taipei.

POOL D

No. 31 Ireland (1-4) v No. 26 Korea (1-4)
4-1

Box Score
Play-by-Play

Ireland won their first-ever world championship game today by defeating Korea 4-1. The Irish scored first at the game’s first at-bat, and extended their lead in the 3rd to bring the game to 3-0. Korea ended the shut-out to lessen the deficit to 3-1, before Ireland scored one more run in the 4th for the victory. Lead-off batter Claire Blount led the game’s offense going 3-for-3, including a home run. Ciara Sullivan also had success at the plate hitting two doubles in the game. Makenzie McGrath earned the win pitching seven complete innings, allowing seven hits and walking only one.

Win: Makenzie MCGRATH
Loss: Kyung LEE

Next Up
Ireland finished with the #5 seed. They will play tomorrow at 7:30pm against Israel.
Korea finished with the #6 seed. They will play tomorrow at 12:00pm against Bahamas.

No. 10 Mexico (3-2) v No. 14 Great Britain (2-3)
4-0

Box Score
Play-by-Play

Mexico defeated Great Britain today 4-0, but it was not enough to advance to the Championship Round as the loss to China restricted them from finishing in the top two in Pool D. The game was settled in the bottom of the fourth inning when a lead-off walk, two ground ball hits through the infield and two British errors allowed Mexico to score three runs. Yeraldin Carrion employed excellent control and a devastating drop and drop curve to throw a no-hitter.

Win: Yeraldin CARRION
Loss: Georgina CORRICK

Next Up
Mexico finished with the #3 seed. They will play tomorrow at 4:30pm against Brazil.
Great Britain finished with the #4 seed. They will play tomorrow at 1:30pm against Netherlands.

No. 3 Canada (5-0) v No. 6 China (3-2)
6-1

Box Score
Play-by-Play

Canada finished the preliminary round robin phase undefeated with a 6-1 win over China. Canada got on the board in the 3rd inning to go ahead 1-0, but China responded the following inning to tie the game up. The red and white then took control of the game in the 6th scoring two runs, followed by three more runs in the 7th. Grace Messmer continued her success at the plate going 4-for-5, including two doubles, three RBIs and scoring twice. Bri Aguilar-Beaucage pitched the complete game allowing just the one run, while striking out nine and walking one.

Win: Bri AGUILAR-BEAUCAGE
Loss: Yinan CHAI

Next Up
Canada finished with the #1 seed. They will play tomorrow at 5:00pm against Japan.
China finished with the #2 seed. They will play tomorrow at 12:00pm against Australia.