27/07/2024 6 Minute Read

WBSC U-18 Women's Softball World Cup Group A: Chinese Taipei, Czechia advance to Finals 2025

Chinese Taipei finished their participation in Group A in style, securing their ticket to the Finals 2025 with a walk-off home run by Jin-Lin Juang, while Czechia also advanced by defeating New Zealand.

World No. 4 Chinese Taipei wrapped up their WBSC U-18 Women's Softball World Cup Finals Group A campaign in spectacular fashion with Jin-Lin Juang’s walk-off home run at Estádio Municipal de Beisebol Mie Nishi, remaining unbeaten and earning their ticket to the Finals 2025 with a thrilling 9-1 victory over world No. 34 New Zealand on Saturday.

Czechia, ranked 10th in the world, kept the excitement alive with a 2-0 victory in the Play-Offs game with world No. 14 Great Britain, then securing their spot in the Finals 2025 with a 7-1 defeat of New Zealand in the Repechage game. Meanwhile, hosts Brazil, ranked 22nd in the world, edged world No. 32 Colombia 6-5 to finish fifth in Group A.

Chinese Taipei's second baseman, Wei-Chi Lin, was named the Most Outstanding Player of Group A after an impressive offensive performance. She hit .706 with five RBIs, seven runs scored, four triples, two doubles, and one stolen base. Lin led the tournament in batting average, hits (12), triples, and slugging percentage (1.294).

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Chinese Taipei concluded their participation in Group A on a high note, securing their ticket to the Finals 2025 with a walk-off home run by Jin-Lin Juang. On Saturday, they beat New Zealand 9-1 in five innings to remain undefeated and win Group A.

Dominating the tournament, Chinese Taipei outscored their opponents 59-10 and finished four of their six games by the run-ahead rule.

Yu-Ching Lo had an impressive game, going 2-for-3 with two runs, while Wei-Chi Lin hit 2-for-2 with one run. However, the standout moment of their nine-hit offensive performance was the walk-off homer by pinch hitter Jin-Lin Juang, sending the ball soaring over the centre field fence.

Pitcher Yi-Ting Chou was stellar in the circle, striking out six in five innings, giving up only two hits and one run. She finished the tournament as the leader in ERA, boasting an impressive 0.51 in 13.1 innings pitched.

With their exceptional performance, Chinese Taipei became the first team to advance to the Finals 2025 in Dallas, joining the United States as hosts.

Nikola Skardova's stellar complete game outing, featuring 10 strikeouts, lifted Czechia to a 7-1 win against New Zealand in the Repechage game, securing their ticket to the Finals 2025.

Skardova allowed only three hits and one run in seven innings of work, and had a three-run lead when she took the circle in the bottom of the first. Kristyna El Ghannam drove in Amalie Kalcevova in the top of the first for the first run of the game, and Denisa Sustrova plated two with a single to make it 3-0.

New Zealand's only run of the game was an inside-the-park home run by Poppy Priddle in the bottom of the first.

Czechia broke open the game in the top of the seventh with a four-run rally, capped by back-to-back RBI singles by Iva Strakova and Sara Rolfesova.

Czechia joins USA (host) and Chinese Taipei as the three teams with a secured spot in the WBSC U-18 Women's Softball World Cup Finals 2025, to be played in Dallas.

Czechia's Play-Offs game with Great Britain saw a complete game shutout by Nikola Skardova, leading to a 2-0 victory and advancing them to the Repechage game.

It was an intense pitching duel between the European rivals, with Elena Clark-Wilson tossing six innings, giving up two runs on eight hits with four strikeouts.

Kristyna El Ghannam delivered an RBI single in the fifth, and Lucie Cervenkova added an inside-the-park home run, providing the two clutch hits for Czechia, who collected eight hits in the game.

For Great Britain, Mia Krueger connected on two of the team's six hits.

With this result, Great Britain finished Group A in fourth place.

Brazil claimed fifth place in the WBSC U-18 Women's Softball World Cup Group A after a thrilling 6-5 walk-off victory against Colombia. The hosts came from behind in the bottom of the seventh, scoring two runs to clinch the victory.

Colombia took the lead twice in the game, initially with a 4-0 advantage in the top of the third and again with a 5-4 lead in the top of the fifth. However, they ultimately gave up another tough loss in the bottom of the seventh.

Down by one run in the bottom of the seventh, Nichole Schultz and Helen Rodrigues tied the game for the host team with two consecutive triples to open the inning. Colombia loaded the bases with two intentional walks, but Emily Freitas grounded to second base to drive in the game-winning run.

Amanda Handa went 3-for-4 for Brazil with two RBIs and one run scored, while Maria Julia Pedroso hit 2-for-3 with a pair of RBIs. Both players pitched the complete game for Brazil, with Handa working five innings and Pedroso the last two. Pedroso was credited with the win.

For Colombia, Brook Zuluaga led the team's nine-hit offensive effort, going 3-for-4. Payton Dedo pitched 1+ inning, giving up two runs on three hits, and was charged with the loss.

Colombia finished sixth with a 0-6 record.

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Czechia 7 - 1 New Zealand - Play by play

Top 7th - Czechia loaded the bases on a fielding error, a hit by pitch, and a walk with two outs. Back-to-back two-run singles from Iva Strakova and Sara Rolfesova extended their lead to 7-1.

After five innings, Czechia's starter Nikola Skardova had pitched a gem. She had collected eight strikeouts while giving up only one run on three hits. The game remained 3-1 in favour of the European champions.

Bottom 1st - Poppy Priddle got New Zealand on the board with an inside-the-park home run to right field. She slapped the ball into the right-field wall and showcased her speed to put the game at 3-1.

Top 1st - Czechia struck first with a three-run inning. Kristyna El Ghannam drove in Amalie Kalcevova for the first run of the game, and Denisa Sustrova plated two with a single to make it 3-0. The European champions took an early lead in the game.

2024 U-18 Women's Softball World Cup Group A - Game 19 CZE vs NZL

New Zealand 1 - 9 Chinese Taipei - Boxscore

Bottom 5th - Chinese Taipei used six hits, including a two-run walk-off homer by pinch hitter Jin-Lin Juang, to score six runs and finish the game. Chinese Taipei won 9-1.

Top 4th - Poppy Priddle singled and Kaiyah Ratu doubled to put two runners in scoring position. Priddle then scored on a sac fly to centre field by Maysen Kurene-Iwikau.

Bottom 3rd - With two outs, Yu-Ling Wu walked and moved to second on a wild pitch. She scored on an RBI single by Yu-Lan Wang. Chinese Taipei now led 3-0.

Bottom 2nd - Wei-Chi Lin hit a two-out triple to centre field and scored four pitches later on a throwing error by shortstop Penny Starr. Chinese Taipei extended their lead to 2-0.

Bottom 1st - Chinese Taipei struck first with one run in their first at-bat. Yu-Ching Lo singled down the left field line and moved to third after a stolen base and a sac bunt. With two outs and runners on the corners, she scored on a steal play at second base. Chinese Taipei led 1-0.

Starting pitchers - Yi-Ting Chou (TPE) - Angela Harrison (NZL)

Preview - Chinese Taipei and New Zealand will face off for a ticket to the Finals 2025. In their first game of the tournament, Chinese Taipei triumphed with an 8-4 victory.

Great Britain 0 - 2 Czechia - Boxscore

Bottom 6th - Lucie Cervenkova hit an inside-the-park home run with a line drive to right field, misplayed by right fielder Lily Bell. Czechia led 2-0.

Bottom 5th - Czechia took the lead. Amalie Kalcevova was hit by a pitch and moved to second on a sac bunt. With one out, Kristyna El Ghannam hit an RBI single up the middle to give Czechia a 1-0 lead.

Bottom 4th - Once again, Elena Clark-Wilson escaped the jam unscathed. Czechia's Sara Rolfesova and Denisa Sustrova started the inning with back-to-back singles and advanced on a sac bunt. However, Clark-Wilson struck out Sara Von Tsurikov and Karolina Berankova to avoid damage. The game remained 0-0.

Bottom 3rd - Czechia loaded the bases with no outs but couldn't cash in. Elena Clark-Wilson retired the next three batters with two grounders and a clutch strikeout to hang the zero. Great Britain and Czechia remained tied at 0-0.

After three complete innings, the game remained scoreless. Iva Strakova made a great diving catch to potentially save a run for her team. The result was still 0-0.

Starting pitchers - Elena Clark-Thompson (GBR) - Nikola Skardova (CZE)

Preview - The two European teams will face off in an elimination game. The winner will advance to the Repechage game at 19:00, while the loser will finish fourth in the competition.

2024 U-18 Women's Softball World Cup Group A - Game 17 GBR vs CZE

Colombia 5 - 6 Brazil - Boxscore

Bottom 7th - Back-to-back triples by Nichole Schultz and Helen Rodrigues tied the game for the host team. Schultz sent the ball to the right field corner to lead off the inning with a stand-up triple, while Rodrigues hit a line drive into the left centre field gap. With the bases loaded, Emily Freitas grounded to second base to walk it off.

Top 5th - Back-to-back doubles by Audrey Lum and Sofia Villa gave Colombia a 5-4 lead.

Bottom 4th - The Mie Nishi Stadium went crazy as Brazil tied the game with a clutch two-out, two-run single by pitcher Amanda Handa to centre field. The game was now 4-4.

Bottom 3rd - Brazil reacted with a pair of runs. After two quick outs, Brazil put together a string of three hits, with singles by Amanda Handa and Ana Luiza Saito, followed by a two-run double from Maria Julia Pedroso. The game was now 4-2.

Top 3rd - Audrey Lum and Francela Verdura singled, leaving runners on the corners with one out. A sac fly from Angelly Benitez plated the fourth Colombian run, extending their lead to 4-0.

Top 2nd - Francela Verdura and Jazmin Mejia reached base on a single and a walk. A two-out dropped foul ball allowed them to score the first two runs of the game. Brooke Zuluaga drove in Sophia Loreto to make it 3-0.

Starting pitchers - Amanda Handa (BRA) - Audrey Lum (COL)

Preview - For fifth place, the two South American rivals will play the first game of the day. They previously faced off on Day 1 of the tournament, where the hosts secured a 7-0 win.