Welcome to this daily summary of the I WBSC U-23 Men's Softball World Cup, giving you the latest news and key updates on the inaugural edition of this men's softball event.
PARANA, Argentina -- The WBSC U-23 Men's Softball World Cup at the Nafaldo Cargnel Stadium and El Plumazo in Parana, Argentina, delivered an outstanding opening day highlighted by exciting plot twists and gallant performances.
The inaugural edition saw Czechia beat South Africa, recording the historic win in the first-ever U-23 Men's Softball World Cup game. The European squad along with Australia and Mexico claimed victories in Group A.
Australia rallied to overcome a 2-1 lead by Singapore with an explosive and solid showing in the second inning to secure game victory.
In the day's closing game, hosts Argentina mounted a four-run lead against Mexico at the end of the third inning. But the visiting side used a five-run, two-inning spread that enabled them to snatch a 5-4 upset win over the home team.
Meanwhile, New Zealand, Japan and Venezuela posted victories in Group B. Damon Creasy had an excellent outing going 2-for-3 with three RBIs to lead New Zealand's 9-0 triumph over Israel.
Good pitching beats good hitting. Such was the case for Japan as they managed to hold firm Team WBSC's good hitting start, as Shota Onodera pitched a complete game to seize the win in favour of the Asian side.
Another pitcher put in a MVP performance with Frank Ugas steering Venezuela to a 2-0 win over Canada, giving up only two hits and a walk across seven innings.
Day 1 Games
Softball fans around the world can watch all the action on GameTime. A tournament pass for $9.99 (US dollars) will give subscribers access to all 50 games of the tournament, while six-game daily passes will be available for $5.99 each day.
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