Japan belt five homers in win over Colombia to clinch Opening Round second place

Japan secured today the second place at the WBSC Men's Softball World Cup Group C Opening Round with a five-inning 8-1 win against Colombia. Japan used five home runs today, including two-dinger games by Kaito Masaki and Kazuya Toriyama, to score all the runs of the game. 

Colombia scored the first run of the game off Shota Onodera in the top of the first inning. Jeison Anillo led off with a single, advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt, and scored on a Mateo Luna single to right field.

However, Japan responded quickly in the bottom half of the inning. Tei Hamamoto singled, Taiyo Kataoka walked, and then Masaki hit a line-drive home run to centre field, giving Japan a 3-1 lead.

Two innings later, Japan used the long ball to extend their lead to 6-1. Yusuke Morita led off the inning with a shot to right field, and one out later, Masaki stayed hot, smashing his third home run of the game - a towering shot off the scoreboard at OGE Energy Field. One pitch later, first baseman Kazuya Toriyama went deep over the centre field fence to make it 6-1.

In the bottom of the fifth, Toriyama struck again to end the game. The left-handed first baseman crushed a rise ball from Sergio Hernandez, sending it over the right-field fence for a walk-off two-run homer.

Masaki was sensational, hitting three home runs on the day (one against Guatemala and two against Colombia). He finished the Opening Round with a .462 average, three homers, six RBIs, and six runs, with his OPS soaring to 1.764.

Shota Onodera earned the win for Japan, allowing eight hits and one run over five innings while striking out three. The right-hander concluded the Opening Round with a tournament ERA of 0.50 and 19 strikeouts. His WHIP (walks and hits per innings pitched) for the tournament stands at 0.93.

This result finalised the Opening Round standings, with Japan securing second place with a 4-1 record, Guatemala finishing third at 3-2, and Colombia taking fourth at 2-3.