24/07/2024 7 Minute Read

WBSC U-18 Women's Softball World Cup Group A - Day 2: Chinese Taipei dominate Opening Round with doubleheader sweep; Great Britain walk off Brazil; New Zealand win

Chinese Taipei swept their doubleheader on Wednesday with a pair of run-ahead wins, remaining undefeated at the top of the WBSC U-18 Women's Softball World Cup Group A standings. They defeated Colombia 10-2 and Brazil 16-1 in the first two games of the day. Great Britain beat Brazil 2-1, with Cara Edwards walking it off with a clutch two-out double off the centre field wall. New Zealand beat Czechia in the last game of the day.

Chinese Taipei swept their doubleheader on Wednesday with a pair of run-ahead victories, maintaining their unbeaten record at the top of the WBSC U-18 Women's Softball World Cup Group A Opening Round standings. They overpowered Colombia 10-2 in five innings and Brazil 16-1 in four innings in the first two matches of the day.

Great Britain narrowly defeated Brazil 2-1 in front of an enthusiastic crowd, with Cara Edwards sealing the win with a decisive two-out double off the centre field wall. She was named Player of the Day. In Wednesday's final game, New Zealand claimed their first tournament victory with an 8-3 win against Czechia.

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With these results, Chinese Taipei is in control of the group with three wins in as many games, remaining the only unbeaten team in the competition. Great Britain and New Zealand each secured their first win on Wednesday, creating a three-way tie with Czechia for second place, all with a 1-1 record. Following the day's losses, Brazil dropped to 1-2 and will need to bounce back on Thursday to stay in contention for a playoff spot. Colombia sit in sixth place with a 0-2 record.

On Thursday, Great Britain and Colombia will play a doubleheader. They will face each other at 13:00 in the second game of the day. The first game will be at 10:00, with the British side taking on Chinese Taipei. Colombia and Czechia will meet at 16:00, while Brazil and New Zealand will close the day at 19:00.

Chinese Taipei clinched their second win of the tournament today with a 10-2 victory over Colombia in Game 4 of the World Cup. After a scoreless first inning, the Asian team scored multiple runs in the next four at-bats, securing their second run-ahead rule win of the competition.

Chinese Taipei lead-off hitter Yu-Ching Lo went 2-for-3 with two RBIs and three runs scored, while shortstop Yu-Lan Wang hit 3-for-4 with a pair of RBIs and a run scored, leading their team's 12-hit offence.

The winning pitcher was Yu-Huan Ke, who pitched two scoreless innings to close the game, allowing two hits with no strikeouts or walks. Starter Yu-Chien Huang pitched 2+ innings of no-hit ball, issuing two walks against two strikeouts.

The loss was charged to Colombian starter Audrey Lum, who surrendered five runs on six hits, with one strikeout.

A long home run by Jia-Jhen Cheng was the highlight of Chinese Taipei's four-inning win against Brazil, with a 16-1 score. Cheng led her team's offence, going 2-for-4 with five RBIs in the game. The Asian team scored multiple runs in each of their four at-bats.

Yu-Huan Ke earned the win in 1.1 innings of relief, striking out two with no hits or walks. Starting pitcher Yi-Ting Chou pitched 2.2 innings, allowing four hits and one run while striking out five.

With this win, Chinese Taipei swept their doubleheader on Wednesday and took control of the Group A Opening Round with three wins.

In the best game of the tournament so far, Great Britain defeated Brazil 2-1 with a walk-off home run by Cara Edwards. The game remained tied at one until the bottom of the seventh, when Edwards sent a 1-0 pitch into the right-centre field gap to drive in the game-winning run.

Elena Clark Wilson pitched a complete game, striking out five while allowing four hits, one run, and three walks to earn the win.

For Brazil, Maria Julia Pedroso and Amanda Handa also pitched well. Pedroso worked 4.1 innings of one-hit ball, giving up one run. Handa pitched 2.1 innings, allowing only one hit and one run, and was charged with the loss.

Maiarangi Waipara homered in the fifth inning and Kaiyah Ratu tallied four RBIs in New Zealand's 8-3 victory over Czechia, closing Day 2 of the World Cup in São Paulo. Waipara went 2-for-3 with three RBIs, while Ratu went 2-for-4.

McKenzie Bailey-McDowell went the distance for New Zealand, allowing seven hits and three unearned runs while striking out four. She lowered her ERA to 3.11 for the tournament.

For Czechia, Nikola Skardova took the loss, surrendering four hits and four runs in three innings.

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Czechia 3 - 8 New Zealand - Boxscore

Top of the 6th - Rebeka Wenclova singled and reached third on a fielding error by the right fielder. She then scored on a wild pitch. New Zealand led 8-3.

Bottom of the 5th - Maiarangi Waipara hit a no-doubter. New Zealand were winning 8-2.

Bottom of the 4th - With a runner on first and two outs, New Zealand mounted a three-run rally capped by a run-scoring single from Siobhan Bolger and a two-RBI single from Kaiyah Ratu. The Junior White Sox extended their lead to 7-2.

Top of the 4th - Sloppy defence allowed Czechia to score one. Iva Strakova walked and then scored on three consecutive throwing errors in the same play, one at each base, to reach home safely.

Bottom of the 3rd - New Zealand replied with four runs in the bottom half of the inning. With one out, McKenzie Bailey-McDowell and Poppy Priddle singled and advanced on a sac bunt. Kaiyah Ratu hit a clutch, two-run go-ahead triple to give New Zealand the lead. Maysen Kurene-Iwikau walked, and then Maiarangi Waipara added two more with a single to right field. New Zealand led 4-1.

Top of the 3rd - Czechia took the lead. Amalie Kalcevova reached on a costly fielding error by third baseman Maysen Kurene-Iwikau, which opened the door for a run-scoring single by Kristyna El Ghannam with a solid line to centre field. Czechia were ahead 1-0.

Starting pitchers - McKenzie Bailey-McDowell (NZL) - Nikola Skardova (CZE)

Preview - Czechia and New Zealand will play the last game of the day. The European champions made a statement yesterday with a solid 9-0 win against Great Britain, while New Zealand lost to Chinese Taipei on Game 1 of the competition. First pitch is scheduled at 19:00. These two teams faced each other for the last time in a World Cup on 14 August 2019 in Irvine, USA, for the Placement Round. The Junior White Sox scored twice in the top of the eighth to defeat Czechia, 4-2, in extra innings.

2024 U-18 Women's Softball World Cup Group A - Game 7 CZE vs NZL

Brazil 1 - 2 Great Britain - Boxscore

Bottom 7th - With runners on first and second, Cara Edwards walks it off with a clutch two-out double off the center field wall. Great Britain beat Brazil, 2-1.

Top 6th - British starter Elena Clark-Wilson has pitched extremely well so far. After six innings, she has allowed one run, three walks and three hits, while striking out four.

Bottom 5th - Jenna Thompson hit a double off the wall with one out. She missed the home run by inches. The Brazilian pitcher Maria Julia Pedroso was replaced by Amanda Handa, who retired the last two outs of the inning with a pair of strikeouts. The game remains 1-1.

Top 3rd - Brazil answer back and tie the game. Amanda Handa walked and moved to second on a grounder. Two pitches later, she scored from there with a long hit by Maria Julia Pedroso, who was thrown out at third trying to turn a double into a triple. The game is now 1-1.

Bottom 2nd - Great Britain strike first. Mia Krueger led-off the inning with a single to right field, and Molly Blackwood brought her in with a double into the left center field gap. Brazil's starter Maria Julia Pedroso avoided more damage by retiring the side with a strikeout and two fly balls. Great Britain is leading, 1-0.

Starting pitchers - Elena Clark-Wilson (GBR) - Maria Julia Pedroso (BRA)

Preview - The hosts will complete their double header today, when they take on Great Britain at 16:00. The European squad need to bounce back after a tough debut Tuesday night, when they lost to Czechia, 9-0. The last time they met in a World Cup was on 13 August 2015 in Oklahoma City, USA. Brazil needed 12 innings to beat Great Britain and their ace Georgina Corrick, 6-3.

2024 U-18 Women's Softball World Cup Group A - Game 6 BRA vs GBR

Chinese Taipei 16 - 1 Brazil - Boxscore

Top of the 4th - Another big inning for Chinese Taipei. A two-run single by Yu-Ching Lo, a run-scoring triple by Yu-Ling Wu, and an RBI single by Yu-Lan Wang allowed the Asian team to score four runs, making it 16-1.

Top of the 3rd - The Asian team struck again. A long two-run homer over the left field fence off the bat of Jia-Jhen Cheng extended their lead to 12-1.

Top of the 2nd - Chinese Taipei put together a four-run inning, capped by a bases-loaded, two-run double off the bat of Wei-Chi Lin. Chinese Taipei now lead 10-1.

Bottom of the 1st - Brazil took back one run on three hits. With one out, Ana Luiza Saito, Nicole Schultz, and Maya Mune hit safely to produce Brazil's first run of the game. However, starter Yi-Ting Chou avoided more damage with a strikeout and a line drive to shortstop, ending the inning. Chinese Taipei led 6-1.

Top of the 1st - Helen Rodrigues got into trouble, loading the bases with consecutive walks and a defensive error. Then, Jia-Jhen Cheng sent a 2-1 pitch to the left field corner for a bases-clearing triple, igniting a six-run first inning. Wei-Chi Lin also tripled and Pei-Chieh Hsiao doubled in the inning. Chinese Taipei were ahead 6-0.

Starting pitchers - Helen Rodrigues (BRA), Yi-Ting Chou (TPE)

Preview - At 1pm, Chinese Taipei will take the field again to play Brazil in the second match today. Brazil made a resounding debut on Tuesday with a 7-0 victory in front of more than 2,000 people at Mie Nishi Stadium. They faced each other last time on 11 August 2015 in Oklahoma City. Chinese Taipei beat Brazil 7-1 for the Group B of the World Cup.

2024 U-18 Women's Softball World Cup Group A - Game 5 TPE vs BRA

Chinese Taipei 10 - 2 Colombia - Boxscore

Top of the 5th - Chinese Taipei scored three more runs with a pair of RBI singles by Yu-Ching Lo and Yu-Lan Wang, along with Colombia's third error of the game. The score was now 10-2.

Bottom of the 4th - Colombia loaded the bases with no outs before Makenzie Degan drew a bases-loaded walk to plate their first run. An RBI single from Sofia Villa added a second run for the South Americans. The score was now 7-2. These were the first two runs allowed by Chinese Taipei in the tournament.

Top of the 4th - Chinese Taipei added two more runs off Sophia Escobar, who replaced Audrey Lum in the circle for Colombia. An RBI triple by Yu-Ching Lo was the first of three consecutive hits for the Asians. Chinese Taipei were now leading 7-0.

Bottom of the 3rd - Yu-Chien Huang tossed two innings of no-hit ball. She opened the third with a walk and was replaced by Emory Cheng. Sophia Loreto got the first Colombian hit of the game, but Cheng hung the zero in the end. Huang's line ended with 2+ innings, issuing two walks against two strikeouts.

Top of the 3rd - Chinese Taipei used three hits to put together a three-run rally to extend their lead to 5-0. Doubles by Yu-Lan Wang and Yen-Ting Chiu, and a single by Yu-Wei Chiang.

Top of the 2nd - With two outs, Chinese Taipei strung together three hits to score the first two runs of the game. Yen-Ting Chiu tripled to right field and scored on a Chen-Hsuan Chang double to centre field. She then crossed the plate on a run-scoring single by Wei-Chi Lin. Chinese Taipei were winning 2-0.

Top of the 1st - Three up, three down for Chinese Taipei. Audrey Lum retired the three batters she faced, highlighted by a spectacular diving catch by second baseman Jazmin Mejia.

Starting pitchers - Audrey Lum (COL), Yu-Chien Huang (TPE)

Preview - Chinese Taipei and Colombia will play the first game of the day at 10:00 local time. On Opening Day, the Asian team earned an 8-4 win against New Zealand, while the South Americans suffered a 7-0 loss to Brazil. Both teams faced each other for the last time in a World Cup on 6 December 2021 in Lima, Peru. Chinese Taipei defeated Colombia, 9-0, in their way to a silver-medal finish in that competition.