On the fourth day of Group B of the 2024 WBSC U-18 Women’s Softball World Cup, only five of the seven scheduled matches could be played due to weather conditions. China picked up two wins, Japan won its fourth game, the Netherlands its first, while Puerto Rico defeated Peru in the final contest of the day.

Japan and China are the only teams still unbeaten with four wins and will meet on the final day of the tournament to determine the placings in Group B. The Netherlands will also play Italy to complete the schedule for the opening round of the tournament.

Because the weather had a significant impact on the schedule, Sunday’s play-off games were cancelled so that the final two games of the opening round could be played.

On Saturday, China and Puerto Rico played the first game of the day. China’s top player, Yuyan Duan, once again pitched a complete game, allowing one run on three hits and six strikeouts. Despite being down 0-1 in the first inning, China took advantage of some defensive errors to score three runs and eventually win the game 3-1.

In the second game between Japan and Peru, Japan’s offense struck first, taking an early 3-0 lead. Hanae Kitahara had a productive day at bat with three hits and two RBIs. Japan defeated Peru to become the first team to win four games.

The match between Italy and China became a nail-biter as both teams defended solidly to keep runners from crossing the plate. China made a breakthrough in the fifth inning and scored the decisive point that gave them their fourth win of the tournament.

The Netherlands and Peru also played a game with only one point difference, with both sides also showing solid defense. The Netherlands took advantage of the opportunity and scored the only point of the game with a successful bunt, securing their first win of the tournament.

In the final game of the day between Peru, seeking its first tournament victory, and Puerto Rico, Peru scored its first run of the tournament, but Puerto Rico’s offense gave it its all with two home runs and 11 runs scored to give Puerto Rico its third victory of the tournament.

All games will be available on GameTime, the official online streaming platform of the WBSC. Fans in China can watch the games via the Chinese Softball Association’s WeChat account, local sports streaming service hupu.com and miguvideo.com.

Announcement of the schedule

Due to the weather-related rescheduling of games, all games since Game 7 will be played over five innings.

Two matches scheduled for Day 4 will be postponed to Day 5: The Netherlands will play against Italy on August 18 at 09:00 and China will play against Japan at 11:00.

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Match No. 14: Peru vs. Puerto Rico Match Report

Puerto Rico and Peru played the final game on the fourth day of Group B of the 2024 WBSC U-18 Women’s Softball World Cup. Peru sent Mayumi Higa hoping to win the first game of the tournament and Puerto Rico had Amanda Cintron on the mound.

At the start of the first inning, Peru scored its first run of the tournament with a hit, a fielder’s decision and a throwing error, also taking its first lead of the tournament.

But in the bottom of the first, Puerto Rico quickly answered, scoring two runs on two hits before Sabrina Boyer hit a two-run home run to deep left field to make the game 4-1. Boyer’s home run is her second of the tournament, and she remains the only player to hit more than one home run.

In the third inning, Gabriela Mizelle also hit a home run to extend Puerto Rico’s lead to 5-1. In the bottom of the fourth inning, Puerto Rico’s offense went all out, sending ten batters to the plate and scoring six runs, ending the game with the run-ahead rules in effect. Puerto Rico finished the opening round with a 3-2 record, while Peru finished 0-5 in the tournament.

Match No. 9: Netherlands vs. Peru Boxscore

The Netherlands and Peru were still waiting for their first win in the tournament. The Netherlands had Elizabeth Kwakernaak on the mound and Peru had Mayumi Higa as a starter.

In the second inning, Chimene Netten of the Netherlands reached third base after a double and a throwing error, and the Dutch coaching staff ordered the bunt, which successfully brought in the first run of the game. With both teams defending solidly, that one run became the deciding factor in the Netherlands’ first win of the tournament.

Match No. 3: China vs. Italy Boxscore

The match between China and Italy has also been postponed from day one. China will send its top player Yuyan Duan back to the hill and Emma Silva will be the starter for Italy.

The game was scheduled to start at 1:10 p.m., but was postponed due to weather conditions and did not start until 3:30 p.m.

In the first inning, China advanced to third base but was unable to score. Italy also had runners in scoring position but was unable to score. In the second inning, China’s Shiyu Jiao hit a double and advanced to third base but was left standing. After four innings, there were no runs on the scoreboard as pitchers on both sides were able to keep anyone from crossing the plate.

In the fifth inning, Italy sent their reserve player Kylie Milano to the mound and China scored the first and only run of the game with Min Lin’s single. China won the thriller 1-0 and took their fourth victory of the tournament.

Match No. 1: Peru vs. Japan Match Report

This postponed match between Peru and Japan is the actual opening match of this year’s tournament. With a 3-0 record, Japan sends Hiiro Taniguchi to the mound to face Laura Burrell of Peru, who is desperate to win her first match of the tournament.

Japan started its offense with two hits in the first inning, followed by a sacrifice fly to center by Mayumi Fujiwara that scored the first run. Three more hits later, Japan closed the first inning with a 3-0 run. Three more runs were added in the third and fourth innings and Japan defeated Peru 6-0, becoming the first team to win four games in the tournament.

Game #11: Puerto Rico vs. China Boxscore

Puerto Rico (2-1) and China (2-0) both sought their third win of the tournament. Yuyan Duan, the player of the day on Day 3, was again sent to the mound for China, and Yessenia Lopez started for Puerto Rico.

Puerto Rico struck first, scoring a run in the first inning. China quickly responded with three runs in the bottom of the same inning, taking the lead and eventually winning the game by a score of 3-1.

China’s starter Duan continued to dominate on the mound, striking out six batters and allowing three hits to secure China’s third victory of the tournament. Duan was credited as the winning pitcher in all three of China’s victories.

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