Australia win tune-up series against Chinese Taipei eyeing WBSC Women's Softball World Cup Finals
The home team, which is getting ready to play in the WBSC Women's Softball World Cup Finals this summer, won the series 5-1.
World No. 10 Australia and No. 4 Chinese Taipei faced each other this past weekend in a six-game series at Blacktown International Sports Park, venue of the Olympic Games Sydney 2000. The home team, which is getting ready to play in the WBSC Women's Softball World Cup Finals this summer, grabbed the series with five wins.
Australia used the series to get ready for a 2024 season and as a key part of the selection process for the national team to represent the nation this season. On the other hand, Chinese Taipei sent to Australia a renovated squad with only three members of the team that earned a bronze medal at the Asian Games last year.
A dominant display from Kandra Lamb (7.0IP, 2H, 13K) and RBIs from Taylah Tsitsikronis and Jenna Trim gave the home team the win, 2-0, in Game 1 of the series. The game was live-streamed.
In Game 2, Kaia Parnaby kept the Chinese Taipei bats quiet, limiting her opposition to two hits in a five-inning, 7-0 Australia win. Trim, who made her debut in the senior team during this series, smashed a three-run home run in the bottom of the fourth. Jade Wall contributed with two RBIs, while Taylah Tsitsikronis and Pippa Adkins added one apiece.
The third game of the series saw Trim hit her second homer in two consecutive games, while Roberts struck out five in a complete-game effort to guide Australia to a 4-2 win against Chinese Taipei. Kylie Steemers and Tamieka Whitefield added a run each, while Kasey Smith went 2-2.
In Game 4, Chinese Taipei took an early lead scoring all their runs in the first inning to claim their only win of the trip, 4-0. Kuei-Ping Yeh plated two with a double, while Pei-Yun Lin and Hsi-Yen Chen added an RBI single each. Chinese Taipei ace Hsia-Ai Ke pitched a complete-game shutout, giving up two hits and three walks while striking out four.
Game 5 was a thrilling 6-5 win for the home team. Australia was up 6-0 going into the seventh, but Chinese Taipei mounted a seventh-inning comeback that fell one run short. The Spirit scored in each of the first four innings off the bats of Wall and Steemers along with an RBI HBP to Adkins, a sac-fly to Trim and heads-up baserunning from Mcmanus and Warwick.
Australia finished the series with a solid victory over Chinese Taipei, 6-0, highlighted by a three-run homer from Gabbie Plain and a combined three-hit shutout from Ellen Roberts and Jayme Reddacliff.
Photo courtesy G.I.N. Photography / Softball Australia
