WBSC U-23 Men’s Softball World Cup Day 2: Australia, Japan, Mexico and New Zealand still undefeated. South Africa and Canada take first tournament win.
South Africa topped Singapore 6-3 to open Day 2 of the WBSC U-23 Men’s Softball World Cup at Nafaldo Cargnel Stadium. Canada defeated Team WBSC at El Plumazo and clinched their first win of the tournament. Mexico outlasted Czechia 6-4 to stay on top of Group A, while Japan beat Israel 7-0 and New Zealand defeated Venezuela 9-3 to lead in Group B. Australia outplayed Argentina in key matchup.
The WBSC U-23 Men’s Softball World Cup continued on Sunday in Parana, Argentina, with six games at Nafaldo Cargnel Stadium and El Plumazo. Full information are available at the tournament website.
In Group A, Australia and Mexico are undefeated with two wins, followed by Czechia and South Africa. Argentina and Singapore closed Day 2 standings still looking for their first win of the tournament.
In Group B, Japan and New Zealand are the undefeated teams, followed by Canada and Venezuela who are tied at 1-1. Israel and Team WBSC are winless so far.
Australia won 2-1 in extra innings and remained undefeated in Group A.
The game was still tied 0-0 after seven innings, as teams go to extras in Parana.
After five complete innings, it was an incredible pitching duel between Australia's Jack Besgrove and Argentina's Nahuel Saenz. Australia and Argentina are tied 0-0.
In the top of the seventh, Brock Evans hit a no-doubter over the centre field fence with a runner on base for a 9-3 finish.
In the bottom of the fifth, down to the last out, Venezuela reacted with a two-run triple by Yeferson Colmenarez to stay in the game. Colmenarez scored Venezuela's third run on a grounder that had a bad bounce.
In the second, Huw Davies sent an upstairs pitch deep into the left field bleachers for a two-run homer. One inning later, Brock Evans knocked in a run with a double to left field to make it 7-0.
Venezuela’s starter Diomar Salas showed some control issues to begin the game, and New Zealand took advantage to score four runs.
Japan posted their second consecutive win in the WBSC U23 Men’s Softball World Cup, with a 7-0 six-inning effort at El Plumazo in Parana, Argentina. The Japanese lineup tallied 10 hits in the game, including a solo homer by leadoff hitter Tomoki Kikuwa.
Martin Magula drove in Marek Volf in the bottom of the sixth that reduced the deficit to 6-4.
Mexico recovered the lead in the fifth. Manuel Zepeda tied the game on a grounder, and then Luis Rodriguez gave his team the lead with an RBI double. One inning after, Junior Flores smashed a two-run homer to extend the lead to 6-3.
Czechia came from behind and took the lead in the bottom of the fourth inning. A three-run homer off the bat of Jakub Hajny gave the European champions the lead.
Mexico's clean-up hitter Jorge Martinez knocked in Jordan Solorio with a solid line drive to right field, to extend the lead of his team to 2-0.
A two-out error in the first inning allowed Mexico to score the first run of the game.
Canada exploded with six runs in the fourth to win the game.
In the third, Canada mounted again a two-run rally, with three consecutive singles, the last one a two-run single off the bat of Mason McKay to take a 5-0 lead.
Canada went ahead in the scoreboard in the second inning. After two quick outs, they took advantage of a costly error by pitcher Juan Diego Morales to score the first two runs of the game and capped the three-run inning with an RBI single by Isaac Lefevbre.
South Africa took advantage of a three-run first inning to build a 6-3 win over Singapore in the first game of Day 2.
Singapore scored twice in the bottom of the seventh, and put two runners on with two outs, but Auric Chia, who represented the potential tying run, struck out to concede the game.
Joshua Tan put Singapore on the scoreboard in the bottom of the fourth when he crushed a rise ball thrown by South Africa’s starter Lucas Lamola into the centre field stands.
South Africa's centre fielder Rian Hattingh added one more to the scoreboard with a sacrifice fly to left field. They led 6-0 in the middle of the fourth.
Dylan Ebrahim led off South Africa's second attack with a single, and then scored on a wild pitch. And one inning later, Nathan Pletschke drove in Kiddo Malematja with a single to left field, to give South Africa a 5-0 lead.
South Africa took advantage of three defensive errors by Singapore to score three in the top of the first inning.
