On Day 4 of the WBSC U-18 Women's Softball World Cup 2024 Group B, only five out of seven scheduled games were carried out due to weather conditions. China collected two wins, Japan won its fourth game, the Netherlands won their first while Puerto Rico defeated Peru in the final contest of the day.
Japan and China are the only teams that remain unbeaten with four victories and will meet on the tournament's final day to decide Group B's seeding. The Netherlands will also play Italy to complete the Opening Round schedule for the tournament.
Due to the weather having a major impact on the schedule, Sunday's Play-Off games have been cancelled to allow the last two Opening Round games to be played.
On Saturday, China and Puerto Rico played the first game of the day as China's ace Yuyan Duan pitched another complete game while giving up one run on three hits with six strikeouts. While trailing 1-0 in the first inning, China capitalized on a couple of defensive miscues to score three runs and ultimately win the game with a score of 3-1.
During the second game between Japan and Peru, Japan's offence struck first to take an early 3-0 lead. Hanae Kitahara had a productive day at the plate with three hits and two RBIs. Japan defeated Peru to become the first team to win four games.
The game between Italy and China became a nail-biter as both teams played solid defence to keep runners from crossing the plate. China found a break in the top of the fifth to score the decisive run to collect their fourth win in the tournament.
The Netherlands and Peru also played a one-run game, with both sides also displaying solid defence. The Netherlands seized the opportunity and ordered a successful bunt to score the game's only run en route to taking their first victory in the tournament.
The day's final game between Peru, who were seeking their first win of the tournament, and Puerto Rico saw Peru score their first run in the tournament, but Puerto Rico's offence went all out with two home runs and 11 runs scored, giving Puerto Rico the third win in the tournament.
All games are available on GameTime, the official online streaming platform of the WBSC. Fans in China can watch the games via the Chinese Softball Association WeChat account, local sports streaming programming provider hupu.com, and miguvideo.com.
Schedule Announcement
Due to the rescheduling of games due to the weather, all games since Game #7 are being played over five innings.
Two games scheduled on Day 4 are rescheduled to Day 5: The Netherlands will play Italy at 09:00, and China will play Japan at 11:00 on 18 August.
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Game #14: Peru vs. Puerto Rico Boxscore
Puerto Rico and Peru played the last game on Day 4 of the WBSC U-18 Women's Softball World Cup 2024 Group B. Peru sent Mayumi Higa in the hope of winning the first game in the tournament, and Puerto Rico had Amanda Cintron on the mound.
In the top of the first inning, Peru scored their first run in the tournament on one hit, a fielder's choice, and a throwing error to take the lead, also for the first time in the tournament.
However, at the bottom of the first, Puerto Rico quickly responded by scoring two runs on two hits before Sabrina Boyer hit a two-run home run to deep left to make it 4-1. Boyer's home run is her second in the tournament, and she remains the only player to have hit more than one home run.
In the third inning, Gabriela Mizelle also hit a home run to increase Puerto Rico's lead to 5-1. In the bottom of the fourth, Puerto Rico's offense went all out, sending ten batters to the plate and scoring six runs to end the game with the run-ahead rules going into effect. Puerto Rico completed the opening round with a 3-2 record, while Peru went 0-5 in the tournament.
Game #9: Netherlands vs. Peru Boxscore
The Netherlands and Peru were still looking for their first win in the tournament. The Netherlands had Elizabeth Kwakernaak on the mound, and Peru had Mayumi Higa as the starter.
In the top of the second inning, Netherlands' Chimene Netten reached third base on a double and a throwing error, and the Netherlands coaching staff ordered the bunt that successfully drove in the game's first run. With both teams playing solid defense, that one run became the deciding factor for the Netherlands to take their first win in the tournament.
Game #3: China vs. Italy Boxscore
The game between China and Italy is also a rescheduled game from Day 1. China send their ace Yuyan Duan to the mound again, and Emma Silva is the starter for Italy.
The game, scheduled to start at 13:10, is being delayed due to weather conditions and started at 15:30.
In the top of the first, China advanced to third base but could not score. Italy also had runners in scoring position but could not score either. In the second, China's Shiyu Jiao doubled and advanced to the third base, but only to be stranded at the third. After four innings, no run was on the scoreboard as pitchers from both sides were able to keep anyone from crossing the plate.
In the top of the fifth, Italy sent their reliever Kylie Milano to the mound, and China managed to score the first and only run of the game on Min Lin's single. China won the thriller with a score of 1-0 and collected their fourth victory in the tournament.
Game #1: Peru vs. Japan Boxscore
This rescheduled game between Peru and Japan is the actual opening game of this year's tournament. With a 3-0 record, Japan send Hiiro Taniguchi to the mound to face Laura Burrell from Peru, who is eager to win their first game in the tournament.
Japan started their offense in the bottom of the first with two hits, followed by a sacrifice fly to the center by Mayumi Fujiwara to drive in their first run. Three more hits later, Japan took a 3-0 run to complete the first inning. Another three runs were added in the third and the fourth, and Japan defeated Peru, 6-0, to become the first team to collect four wins in the tournament.
Game #11: Puerto Rico vs. China Boxscore
Puerto Rico (2-1) and China (2-0) were both looking for the third win in the tournament. Yuyan Duan, the Player of the Day on Day 3, was sent to the mound again for China, and Yessenia Lopez started for Puerto Rico.
Puerto Rico struck first and scored one run in the top of the first inning. China quickly responded with three runs in the bottom of the same inning to take the lead and ultimately win the game with a score of 3-1.
China's starter, Duan, kept dominating on the mound as she struck out six batters and yielded three hits to secure China's third win in the tournament. Duan was credited as the winning pitcher in all three of China's wins.
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