Japan, Italy take off with wins in the U-18 Baseball World Cup

Japan, Italy take off with wins in the U-18 Baseball World Cup
01/09/2017

THUNDER BAY (Ontario), Canada-Day 1 of the WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup 2017 gets started with wins by Japan (10-1) against Mexico and Italy (4-2) against Nicaragua

Japan and Italy open the WBSC U-18 World Cup 2017 with wins against Mexico and Nicaragua. Below the higlights of Japan-Mexico

Japan confirm themselves as one of the favorites with a clear 10-1 win against Mexico.
Japan gets on the scoreboard in the second. Mexico starter Gardea Acosta struggles with control. Japan at first fail to advance runners on a sacrifice bunt, then load the bases on a base hit by shortstop Kozono. Right fieldr, and lead off hitter, Fujiwara sends an opposite field line drive that goes beyond left fielder Mendoza and clears the bases. Fujiwara is then the second out, trapped between second and third.

Shoma Tokuyama was almost unhittable for Mexico (Christian J Stewart-WBSC)

Third baseman Manzanares doubles to left center to lead off the bottom half of the third for Mexico. He reaches third when left fielder Mendoza sends a slow roller to first on a check swing. With 2 outs, Japan starter Tokuyama walks shortstop Perez. With runners at the corner, center fielder Sanchez Obeso lines out to second for the third out.

Tokuyama opens the bottom of the fourth walking first baseman Favela. Then, with one out, designated hitter Maciel sends his fifth picth off the wall in left center for a double that moves Favela to third. The righthander gets catcher Gonzalez on a comebacker but allows Mexico their first run as he hits Manzanarez and left fielder Mendoza in a row. With the bases loaded, Tokuyama is out of the jam as Perez grounds out to second.

In the top of the fifth Mexico is forced to replace starter Gardea by an injury. Left hander Palafox takes the mound and inherits a runners on first (center fielder Ito, walk). Third baseman Yasuda flies out to right just inches shy of a home run, but Ito reaches third on consecutive wild pitches and scores on a sacrifice fly by star first baseman Kiyomiya.
Japan adds an insurance run in the seventh on base hit by Yasuda, that scores Ito from second. Kiyomiya scares Mexico with a towering fly out on the warning track to right, enough for another call to the bull pen: Garza replaces Palafox. Samurai don’t waste any time to get to the reliever and a base hit by designated hitter Sakurai makes it 6-1 and a 3 run homer by second baseman Inoue extends the lead to 9-1.
Japan adds one run in the ninth (on a base hit by Sakurai) and left hander Shumpei Isomura got the last 6 outs, allowing one hit (by Manzanarez) but showing some impressive heat.

Tosei Inoue hit a 3 run homer to break the score open for Japan (Christian J Stewart-WBSC)

With a 4-2 debut win against Nicaragua, Italy proved manager Cortese was pretty serious when he said they have a chance of making it to the super round.

Starters Michele Vassallotti and Leonardo Jarquin dominate the first 4 frames. Nicaragua takes the lead in the fifth. Shortstop Sanchez leads off with a triple. With one out, center fielder Aguilar follows with an RBI triple and scores on a base hit by designated hitter Perez.

Italy scores all the runs they need in the top of the sixth. With 2 outs, designated hitter Giarola walks and shortstop Angioi follows with a base hit. Jarquin puts himself into trouble when he cannot get the third out at first on an assist by firstbaseman Castillo. Giarola scores on the play. Italy capitalizes on the mistake with a base hit by Seminati that sends Angioi home to tie the game and Bertossi follows with a triple to left center that scores both Paolini and Seminati.

Vassallotti completes his game striking out 2 (thus taking his total to 8) in the bottom half of the frame and earns the win. Tommaso Battioni takes over from there, pitching 3 innings and earning the save, while allowing only one hit.

Michele Vassallotti led Italy to their first win in the U-18 World Cup (James Mirabelli-WBSC)