20/09/2024 3 Minute Read

WBSC Men's Softball World Cup 2024 - Day 4 Live Blog: Japan sprint to second place with wins over Guatemala, Colombia; USA sweep Opening Round; Vizcaino homers twice to send Guatemala to Play-Offs

The Play-Offs are set for Saturday, featuring fourth-place Colombia against third-place Guatemala at 13:00 in an elimination game. At 16:00, first-place USA will face second-place Japan, with the winner advancing to the Finals 2025. The day will conclude at 19:00, when the winner of the Colombia-Guatemala match will play the loser of the USA-Japan game for the second Finals 2025 spot.

The Opening Round of the WBSC Men's Softball World Cup Group C concluded on Friday at OGE Energy Field in Oklahoma City, with the Play-Offs now confirmed. Guatemala secured their place in the top four by defeating the Netherlands 10-3 in six innings. Japan followed with a 4-0 win over Guatemala and an 8-1 victory against Colombia to clinch second place in the standings. First-place USA completed the Opening Round with a perfect 5-0 record after defeating South Africa 11-4.

With these results, the WBSC has announced the schedule for Saturday's Playoffs. At 13:00, fourth-place Colombia will face third-place Guatemala in an elimination game. At 16:00, first-place USA will take on second-place Japan, with the winner securing a ticket to the Finals 2025. At 19:00, the winner of the Colombia-Guatemala game will play against the loser of the USA-Japan matchup, with the second Finals 2025 spot at stake. Earlier, at 10:00, South Africa will face the Netherlands for fifth place.

All games will be available on WBSC's official streaming platform, GameTime.

- Two tickets on offer to the Finals 2025, which will be played in Prince Albert, Canada in July next year
- Group C completes the group stage of the WBSC Men's Softball World Cup 2024/2025
- Group A, was played in Hermosillo, Mexico, from 12 to 16 June with Dominican Republic and Australia earning a ticket to the Finals.
- Group B was hosted in Prince Albert, Canada, from 10 to 14 July; with No. 1 Argentina and No. 10 New Zealand advancing to the Finals. No. 3 Canada secured a wild card
- World No. 4 Japan, No. 7 USA, No. 13 Guatemala, No. 17 Colombia, No. 18 South Africa and No. 19 Netherlands go head to head in Group C at OGE Energy Field at Devon Park, Oklahoma, USA.
- Group C features two medallists - five-time World Champions USA, and three-time medallists Japan (two silvers, one bronze).
- OGE Energy Field at Devon Park will host the women's softball competition at the LA28 Olympic Games
- Japan & USA start as favourites in Oklahoma City
- WBSC Men's Softball World Cup 2024 Group C - By the numbers
- All about OGE Energy at Devon Park
- WBSC Men's Softball World Cup Group C live on GameTime
- Six players to watch
- New tie-break system for Softball World Cups in play

In their first-ever meeting at the Men's Softball World Cup, Guatemala secured a spot in the Play-Offs with a 10-3, six-inning win against the Netherlands in Game 12 of the tournament. Fabian Vizcaino led the way for the Central American team, hitting two home runs, driving in three RBIs, and scoring three runs. Jorge Hernandez also contributed with three RBIs in the game.

With this result, the Netherlands finished the Opening Round in fifth place with a 1-4 record and will face South Africa on Saturday at 10 a.m. in the fifth-place game.

Read the full match report here. You can view the play-by-play and box score of the game here.

In the second game of the day, Japan claimed their third victory by defeating Guatemala 4-0, staying in the race for second place. Japan bounced back from Thursday's loss to USA and secured a crucial win.

Japan showcased stellar defence behind a strong performance from Hiroki Ikeda, who pitched a complete-game shutout with 10 strikeouts.

Read the full match report here. You can view the play-by-play and box score here.

Japan secured second place in the Opening Round with an 8-1 victory over Colombia, finishing with a 4-1 record. The team powered their offence with five home runs, including two-homer performances from Kaito Masaki and Kazuya Toriyama. Yusuke Morita added the fifth home run of the game for Japan.

This was their second meeting in the history of the competition. On 4 March 2013, they faced off in Auckland, New Zealand, with Japan winning 9-2.

Read the full report here. Check the play-by-play and box score here.

In the final game of the Opening Round, USA defeated South Africa to finish the round with a perfect record. The hosts had already secured first place on Thursday and will play the Final on Saturday at 16:00 against Japan. Meanwhile, South Africa finished sixth and will face the Netherlands at 10:00.

USA scored in five of their six at-bats, including a four-run second inning. Jonathan Lynch stayed hot, going 2-for-3 with three RBIs and two runs scored. Tyler Johnson also drove in three runs, while Frank Kimlinger contributed two.

Full recap here. You can view the box score of the game here.

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