27/11/2022 5 Minute Read

Men’s Softball World Cup 2022 - Day 2: Australia claim stunning 6-5 win over Japan in the eighth; USA in big win over New Zealand; Argentina, Canada, Venezuela and Cuba also record wins

Earlier in the day USA beat New Zealand 7-0, Argentina too good for the Philippines 6-0; Venezuela beat South Africa 12-1 while Cuba (7-0) and Canada (10-0) kept the Czech Republic and Denmark scoreless respectively

Rain delay from 12:48 to 14:30 disrupts proceedings on Sunday. A second rain delay at 17:11 sees USA leading NZL 1-0 before on their return at 17:55, five-time champions USA hit two homers in the top of the second to lead 5-0 in the third inning. USA went on to win 7-0.
Australia, Argentina, Venezuela, Cuba and Canada also win on Day Two
Six games per day over two fields
12 teams split into two groups. Top three teams from each group advance to the Super Round
Seven time champions New Zealand, title holders Argentina and five-time winners USA in Group A
Five of the top-11 teams in Group B
Tournament Website
Watch Live on GameTime.Sport

Day 2 Schedule
Cuba beat Czech Republic 7-0 Box Score and Photos
Denmark beat Canada 10-0 Box Score and Photos
Venezuela beat South Africa 12-1 Box Score and Photos
USA beat New Zealand 7-0 Box Score and Photos
Argentina beat Philippines 6-0 Box Score and Photos
Australia 6-5 Japan Box Score and Photos

Group A Standings: Argentina 2-0; USA 2-0; New Zealand 1-1; Cuba 1-1; Czech Republic 2-0; Philippines 0-2
Group B Standings: Canada 2-0; Australia 2-0; Japan 1-1; Venezuela 1-1; Denmark 0-2; South Africa 0-2

Despite two rain delays from 12:48 to 14:30 and 17.11 to 17:55, Day Two of the WBSC Men's Softball World Cup saw all games make the field with the last game Australia v Japan played into the evening under the rain.

Australia v Japan

The world No. 4 versus the 2019 silver medallists was highlighted as one of the games of the day and despite the inclement weather both sides turned it on from the off.

Lead off hitter Scott Patterson scored for Australia with only one out on the board before Nick Shailes scored on a wild pitch. At 2-0, it was looking ominous early on for Japan but their fight back started immediately with Ryoyu Une scoring after catcher Jack Burt missed a Jack Besgrive rise ball in the bottom of the first before a Yusuke Sakuraba bouncing double in the second inning scored Tei Hamamoto and Naoaki Kawada scored on another Burt error, this time off Marshall Kronk to give Japan the lead 3-2.

Japan scored again twice in the bottom of the fifth - with Kazuya Toriyama scoring off a Taiyo Kataoka flyball before Kotaro Yasumi scored on a Keisuke Kitazawa single - and looking good for victory before Australia started a remarkable comeback.

One run in the sixth from Matthew Harrow off a Marshall Kronk double started the comeback. With pitcher Reo Koyama starting to lose his form, Australia's confidence was up. After a short weather delay Callum Beashel batted in James Todhunter before O'Byrne scored on a Shailes single to tie the score at 5-5 in the top of the seventh. Beashel was tagged out at home trying to score a leading run. Taiyo Kataoka made the tag at home before a melee ensued around home plate.

A combination of an umpire evaluation and the wet weather called for another pause to the game before on the restart Kronk used his rise ball to great effect, striking out two batters with the winning run in scoring position on second to end the seventh locked up at 5-5 and send the game to the first tie breaker of the tournament.

With the tiebreaker rule, pinch runner Riley James started on second in place of Kronk and Australia catcher Josh McGovern tripled off the first pitch of Kento Okazaki through the left side to give the world No. 4 a 6-5 lead.

Japan's turn at bat but despite having two on base, they couldn't find the hit to clinch the win, giving Australia the honours at the end of the eighth 6-5.

USA v New Zealand

New Zealand's Josh Pettett started on the mound and he kept the US batters quiet in the top of the first but Matt Palazzo scores for USA in the second on a Zach Shaw single to centre field. The rain stopped play in the bottom of the second inning with USA leading 1-0.

After the rain delay from 17:11 to 17:55 USA took to Pettett in the top of the third. After walking Nicholas Mullins, Pettet saw Blaine Milheim hit him back over his head for the the biggest homer of the tournament so far, 15 rows back of the centre field grandstand.

Erick Ochoa repeated the feat in deep right field to give USA a 5-0 lead, which forced a New Zealand pitching change - Pita Rona coming on to close out the innings.

With New Zealand hoping to hold on before one last turn at bat, Palazzo singled up the middle to score Mullins and Milheim to take the score out to 7-0 in the top of the seventh.

The last time New Zealand lost to USA in a World Cup was in 1988 when USA won the last of their five titles beating the Black Sox in the final so there were plenty of celebrations when former Australian pitcher Bradley Kilpatrick struck out Reilly Makea looking.

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Philippines v Argentina

After pulling a come-from-behind win out of the bag against Cuba on Saturday, defending champions Argentina found the going early on equally tough against the Philippines. Scoreless after three innings.

A superb hit over centre field by Alan Peker drew the applause of Gonzalo Ojeda as Argentina scored three in the bottom of the fourth to open a 3-0 lead.

Martin Gonzalez dominated the Philippine batters, striking out 11 over five innings, giving up only one hit before Roman Goday continued in the same striking out six as Argentina claimed their second win from two games .

South Africa v Venezuela

South Africa made a great start with Phomolo Phaladi scoring in the top of the first inning but Venezuela struck right back at their turn at bat with Carlos Villegas, Erwin Diaz, Englebert Herrera, Carlos Ojeda and Rogelio Sequera all scoring.

Venezuala added two more in the second with Diaz and Herrera scoring on the back of a Sequera single to centre field to lead 7-1.

Jorge Flima and Rafael Flores scored in the third to stretch the lead to 9-1 before Edinson Marrero, with the rain falling and the game on Field 1 postponed, took the game in his own hands and hit a three-run homer to close the game as per the run-ahead-rule at 12-1 in the fourth.

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Cuba v Czech Republic

The Czech Republic beat Cuba 5-4 during pool play at the WBSC Men's Softball World Cup 2019 in Prague and we're expecting a similar contest here in Auckland.

A triple from Osvaldo Perez scores Reinier Vera to give Cuba a 1-0 lead in the top of the second before Yesander Rodriquez singles to right field to score Luis Dominguez and Cuba lead 2-0 in the top of the third.

That singled a pitching change with Martin Holobradek, who pitched Czech Republic to victory three years ago, replacing Jakub Osicka in the third.

Miguel Savigne let blasted Holobradek over centre field to stretch the lead to 3-0 in the fourth before Osvaldo Perez and also crossed.

After a rain delay from 12:48 to 14:30, Vera Reinier scored on a Savigne single before Hector Castillo also got home on a Perez single in the top of the sixth for Cuba to lead 7-0.

Alain Roman then pitched Cuba home in the bottom of the sixth to win by the run ahead rule.

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Denmark v Canada

Canada won this contest 7-0 in their first game of the WBSC Men's Softball World Cup 2019 and again started this contest well with the bat as Shane Boland continued where he left off yesterday with a triple first up before coming home on a Mathieu Roy sacrifice fly. Derek Mayson also scored on a Quinten Bruce triple to give Canada an early 2-0 after the first.

The Mathieu-Boland combination was at it again with Mathieu this time homering over centre field to bring them both home and give Canada a 4-0 lead in the fourth.

The weather break did Canada well. After closing the top of the fourth, Quinten Bruce homers to deep left field to bring home Bradley Ezekiel and Derek Mayson before Bryan Abrey also put it over the fence. With Canada leading 8-0, Colin Walsh put a third out of the ground, to score Ty Sebastian and finish the game at 10-0 in the fourth.

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If you missed the action from the first day, check out the daily review and here's a look back at the opening game between hosts New Zealand and the Czech Republic.