23/07/2024 5 Minute Read

WBSC U-18 Women's Softball World Cup Group A - Day 1: Brazil, Czechia, Chinese Taipei triumph on Day 1

During the WBSC Opening Ceremony, WBSC Executive Vice President Softball, Craig Cress, officially declared the tournament open. Chinese Taipei triumphed over New Zealand 8-4 in the first game before hosts Brazil dominated Colombia in five innings. Czechia defeated Great Britain 9-0 in the final game of Day 1.

The WBSC U-18 Women’s Softball World Cup began with an exciting Opening Day on Tuesday at Estádio Municipal de Beisebol Mie Nishi in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Chinese Taipei opened the tournament with an 8-4 victory over New Zealand in the first game before, in front of a lively and passionate crowd, Brazil defeated Colombia 7-0 in five innings in the second game. To close the day, Czechia downed Great Britain 9-0 in five innings.

Earlier in the morning, the tournament was declared officially open by WBSC Executive Vice President Softball Craig Cress.

"This tournament has been the beginning of the Olympic career for many athletes, with Tokyo 2020 being a perfect example," he said. "Of the 90 players who participated in the last Olympic Games Softball competition, 46 played the U-18 Women’s Softball World Cup in the early stages of their career. I can't wait to see many of these young players here in Brazil becoming proud Olympians in Los Angeles 2028 and beyond."

The athletes are competing at the newly renovated Estádio Municipal de Beisebol Mie Nishi in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

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Chinese Taipei showcased their offensive strength on Tuesday, scoring in five of the six at-bats to secure an 8-4 victory over New Zealand in Game 1 of the WBSC U-18 Women's Softball World Cup. Both teams struggled defensively, with New Zealand committing three errors and Chinese Taipei four, for a total of seven errors.

Yi-Ting Chou delivered a strong performance in the circle, pitching 4.1 innings of one-hit ball, recording three strikeouts, and allowing just one walk to earn the win. The top four hitters in the Chinese Taipei lineup each contributed with two hits, while Yu-Ling Wu crossed the plate three times and Jia-Jhen Cheng drove in two runs.

For New Zealand, McKenzie Bailey-McDowell took the loss, giving up eight hits, six runs, and two walks, while striking out two.

Behind a one-hit performance by right-hander Amanda Hana, Brazil claimed their first win of the tournament against Colombia, 7-0, in five innings. Hana gave up four walks and struck out two to earn the victory.

The Colombian defence struggled, committing five errors that did not help their pitchers, Payton Dedo and Audrey Lum. Only two of the seven runs were earned.

Colombia loaded the bases in the first at-bat, but Hana escaped the jam by retiring Luisa Padilla and Angelly Benitez with consecutive fly balls to first base. This was Colombia's only scoring opportunity of the game.

Offensively, Maya Mune went 2-for-3 with two RBIs, Beatriz Miyoshi went 2-for-3 with one RBI, and Emily Freitas tallied two RBIs for Brazil. Colombia's only hit came from Audrey Lum.

Nikola Skardova pitched four scoreless innings, followed by a perfect 1-2-3 inning from Lucie Vecerova, leading Czechia to a commanding 9-0 victory over Great Britain in the final game of the day. Czechia capitalised on five defensive errors by their opponents, scoring multiple runs in the first three innings.

Czechia amassed five hits in the game, with shortstop Iva Strakova going 2-for-3 and scoring a run. Julie Houbova, Rebeka Wenclova, and Sara Rolfesova each contributed with two RBIs.

For Great Britain, Jenna Thompson went 2-for-2, while Cara Edwards went 1-for-1, providing the team's only three hits.

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Great Britain 0 - 9 Czechia - Boxscore

Top 4th - Great Britain loaded the bases with a pair of hits from Jenna Thompson and Cara Edwards, and a walk by Amy Hartle, but they could not score. Czechia's pitcher Nikola Skardova retired the next two hitters with a fly ball to the infield and a strikeout. The game remained 9-0 for the Czechs.

Bottom 3rd - Czechia loaded the bases in the bottom of the third and capitalised on the opportunity with five runs. The rally was highlighted by a two-run single from Rebeka Wenclova. Czechia led 9-0.

Bottom 2nd - A pair of doubles from Iva Strakova and Julie Houbova, along with a defensive error by Great Britain, allowed Czechia to score two more runs in the bottom of the second. The score was 4-0.

Bottom 1st - A two-out single by Sara Rolfesova drove in Julie Houbova and Krystina El Ghannam, giving Czechia an early lead. Both runners had reached first on walks. Czechia led 2-0.

Preview - To close the first day of competition, Czechia and Great Britain will play at 18:00. This will be their second match i the history of the competition. They met on 3 July 2013 in the World Cup in Brampton, Canada, with a victory for the British squad, 3-2. Both teams collided last year during the European Championship Round Robin 2. Czechia downed Great Britain, 9-1 in five innings, en route to their second consecutive European title.

2024 U-18 Women's Softball World Cup - Group A Game 3 GBR vs CZE

Colombia 0 - 7 Brazil - Boxscore

Bottom 5th - Maya Mune walked it off with an RBI single up the middle. Brazil's second baseman ended the game with a 7-0 win in five innings.

Bottom 4th - Brazil extended the lead to 6-0. With runners on the corners and one out, Ana Saito bunted, forcing a throwing error that allowed Ana Rodrigues to cross the plate. Two pitches later, Maria Yatsu plated Brazil's sixth run with a grounder to second base.

Bottom 3rd - Brazil broke the game open with a three-run inning. An Emily Freitas two-RBI single and a run-scoring single by Beatriz Miyoshi made the game 4-0.

Bottom 2nd - Brazil took the lead as Maya Mune got the host team on the board with an RBI double to right field. Brazil led 1-0.

Top 2nd - Colombia loaded the bases in their second at-bat with a walk, an Audrey Lum single, and a hit-by-pitch. However, Brazilian starter Amanda Handa escaped the jam by retiring Luisa Padilla and Angelly Benitez with consecutive fly balls to first base. After two innings, the game remained scoreless.

Preview - Group A's second game will see South Americans neighbors Colombia and Brazil going face to face for the first time in the history of this competition. However these two teams are familiar since they played on 4 April this year for the Pan American Championship in Monteria, Colombia. Brazil defeated Colombia, 10-6. The game will start at 15:00.

2024 U-18 Women's Softball World Cup - Group A - Game 2 COL vs BRA

New Zealand 4 - 8 Chinese Taipei - Boxscore

Bottom 6th - Chinese Taipei took back two runs. With two outs, back-to-back doubles from Yu-Ching Lo and Yu-Ling Wu, followed by a single from Ji-Jhen Cheng, allowed them to score twice. The game was 8-4 in favour of Chinese Taipei.

Top 6th - New Zealand put together a big inning. With two outs and two runners on, Maysen Kurene-Iwikau singled in the first run for her team. Then Mariangi Waipara hit a line drive single to right field, which was misplayed by right fielder Yu-Hsin Chiu, allowing Waipara to touch all the bases and score in an electric play. The game was now 6-4.

Top 5th - For the second consecutive inning, Chinese Taipei completed a double play. Second baseman Wei-Chi Lin gloved a line drive and retired the runner at first.

Bottom 4th - Chinese Taipei added one more run on a defensive error. Pei-Chieh Hsiao walked, moved to second on a Yu-Ching Lo single, and advanced to third on a wild pitch. She scored her team's sixth run of the game on a miscue. The score was 6-0 in favour of Chinese Taipei.

Top 4th - Kaiyah Ratu connected for New Zealand's first hit of the tournament. She was followed by Maysen Kurene-Iwikau, who lined to third for a double play.

Bottom 3rd - Chinese Taipei mounted a three-run rally, using a walk and three singles to take a 5-0 lead. Ji-Jhen Cheng and Yen-Ting Chiu each contributed RBIs. Chinese Taipei led 5-0.

Bottom 2nd - Chen-Hsuan Chang hit a one-out triple down the left field line and scored on a single by Wei-Chi Lin. Lin connected with an outside-corner pitch, hitting it between third base and shortstop for a base hit. Chinese Taipei held a 2-0 lead over New Zealand.

Bottom 1st - Chinese Taipei took the lead in their first at-bat. Yu-Ling Wu singled to left field with the first hit of the tournament. One pitch later, Yu-Lan Wang hit a line drive to the left field corner for an RBI double, giving Chinese Taipei an early lead. The score was 1-0.

Starting pitchers - Yi-Ting Chou (TPE) and McKenzie Bailey-McDowell

Preview - Two teams with a long history in this competition will open the WBSC U-18 Women's Softball World Cup Group A. New Zealand and Chinese Taipei, with 11 and 13 participations respectively, will face each other in Game 1 of the competition. Back in 2019, they also played on Opening Day of the World Cup in Irvine, USA, when the Asian squad scored two in the bottom of the seventh to clinch a close 7-6 victory over the Junior White Sox. This was the last time they met in a U-18 Women's Softball World Cup. First pitch is scheduled at 12:00 local time.

2024 U-18 Women's Softball World Cup Group A - Game 1 NZL vs TPE