Top-10 WBSC Softball World Cup Plays of the Year: No. 4 Erika Piancastelli (Italy)

Welcome back to the WBSC Top-10 Softball Plays of the Year, a review of the best 10 plays in the WBSC Softball World Cups in 2023. At No. 4 we find Italian right fielder Erika Piancastelli, who showed off her defensive tools in this spectacular diving catch at the WBSC Women's Softball World Cup Group C on home soil.

Host Italy and Canada collided on Day 2 of the Group C in Buttrio. on 23 July. Both teams had won their opening games of the tournament the day prior, while Italy defeated New Zealand earlier that day, in the first game of a double-header.

It was the top of the first inning, with two outs. Canada's slugger Erika Polidori connected an opposite-field line-drive with a runner at second that seemed to land in the right field corner, but Piancastelli made a full extension diving catch to rob her of an extra-base hit and prevent a run from scoring.

The play set the tone of the game, with Italy winning the game over the Tokyo 2020 Olympic bronze medallists, 6-1. At the end of the week, both teams advanced to the World Championship Finals, to be played in Castions di Strada, Italy, in July.

WBSC Softball World Cup Plays of the Year

• No. 10 Samantha Alekman (USA) - U-15 Women's Softball World Cup
• No. 9 Angelu Gabriel (Philippines) - Women's Softball World Cup Group C
• No. 8 Uxua Modrego (Spain) - Women's Softball World Cup Group B
• No. 7 Sebastian Hassell (Venezuela) - U-18 Men's Softball World Cup
• No. 6 Janet Leung (Canada) - Women's Softball World Cup Group C
• No 5 Ryuji Okawa (Japan) - U-23 Men's Softball World Cup