Kazuya Umibe pitched a gem against Mexico in Japan’s first Super Round game to lead his team to a key 1-0 win, keeping their unbeaten run going in the WBSC U-23 Men's Softball World Cup. The Japanese pitcher tossed a one-hit complete game with 12 strikeouts and one walk.
Yoshinari Matsumoto scored the lone run of the game in the bottom of the first. He launched a line-drive triple to the left field, setting him up a few pitches later to score on a wild pitch by Mexico's Jesus Valdez, who only lasted two outs.
Umibe was almost invincible in the game, as he limited Mexico to only one hit, a Jordan Solorio single, in the fourth inning.
Despite Mexico's struggles on offence, Jose Valdez, who came in relief in the first inning, delivered a great pitching performance, giving up only one hit and one walk in 5.2 innings, with two strikeouts.
Japan maintained a perfect 3-0 record to take control in the Super Round, while Mexico dropped their record to 1-2.