Japan outscore Chinese Taipei in Women's Baseball World Cup Finals opener

World No. 1 Japan opened the Women's Baseball World Cup Finals 2024 with a 9-4 win against No. 2 Chinese Taipei at Porth Arthur Stadium on Saturday.

Wakana Mori pitched nine solid innings to earn the win. After a quick Japanese lead, the game went tied into the fourth. The fourth and fifth Japanese at-bats broke the score open.

Both teams missed scoring opportunities in the first.

Iori Miura doubled on the fifth pitch delivered by Chinese Taipei starter Wen-Ching Hsieh. Japan bunted her to third, and Hsieh then allowed a one-out walk. With runners at the corners, Japan attempted a squeeze play to score the game's first run. Miwa Naraoka hit a comebacker, and Hsieh had plenty of time to throw to catcher Shih Yun Lee. Naraoka was caught for the second out, and Hsieh got out of the at-bat with a flyout.

Shortstop Yu-Ying Hsieh led off the bottom of the first with a base hit. Chinese Taipei bunted her to second, and Hsiao-Mei Cheng followed with a single through the right side. With runners at the corners, Chiao-Yun Huang sent a swinging bunt to the mound, and Mori got the second out at home. Runners advanced to third and second on a double steal, but Mori ended the inning by getting the third out on strikes.

Japan took the lead in the top of the second inning. Miura hit a two-out, two-RBI double, advancing to third on the play. She then scored on Haruna Tadano's single, making it 3-0. The at-bat ended when Tadano tried to score from second on a single by Miwa Naraoka but was thrown out at the plate for the third out.

Japan failed to execute a double play in the bottom of the third inning, allowing Chinese Taipei to capitalise. They scored their first run on a bases-loaded walk and tied the game with a two-RBI single by Yi-Hsuan Chiu. Japan managed to get the third out of the inning at home plate.

Hsieh hit Ayaka Deguchi to lead off the first. Miura bunted her to second, and Tadano followed with a base hit. With runners on second and third, Yuki Kawabata hit a deep fly ball to left field. Yen-Tzu Hung ran it down but could not prevent Deguchi from scoring. Naraoka then cleared the bases with an RBI double, extending Japan's lead to 5-3.

Hsieh left with a runner on second and one out in the top of the fifth. Kae Iwami singled on reliever Yu-Pei Chen's second pitch, extending Japan's lead to 6-3. Pinch hitter Yazuha Nakamura and Miura then hit infield singles, manufacturing another run.

Chinese Taipei cut the gap to 7-4 in the bottom half of the frame. Chiao-Yun Huang reached on a two-out double and scored on Pei-Chen Huang's RBI single.

Japan added an insurance run in the top of the sixth with Osada's sacrifice fly.

Natsuki Kubo took the mound for Japan in the bottom of the sixth. The reliever allowed a couple of hits but got herself out of trouble by striking out the side.

Li-Ching Huang took the mound for Chinese Taipei in the top of the seventh. Japan took advantage of a defensive error and extended the lead to 9-4.

Chinese Taipei will open Day 2 facing No. 3 Venezuela, while Japan will play the night game against No. 7 Canada.