Day 5 - WBSC U-23 Men's Softball World Cup - For the Title of World Champion

APRIL 19, 2023

Besgrove's brilliance leads way for Australia Group A sweep; Japan undefeated in Group B; Canada, Mexico, Argentina and New Zealand complete Super Round cast of WBSC U-23 Men's Softball World Cup

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 – WBSC Men’s Softball World Cup 2022 champion Jack Besgrove pitched a no-hitter, striking out 14 and giving up only one walk to lead Australia to a 2-0 win over Czechia to complete a clean sweep of Group A on the final day of the WBSC U-23 Men's Softball World Cup Opening Round on Wednesday. Australia will start the Super Round on Thursday, along with Group B winners Japan as well as Mexico, Canada, Argentina and New Zealand.

World No. 3 Japan also remained undefeated closing their Opening Round play with a 5-0 win over New Zealand, with Taiga Onishi tossing a three-hit, 13 strike-out shutout.

With Australia and Japan advancing a day earlier to the Super Round, four more spots were up for grabs on Day 5 of the tournament at the Nafaldo Cargnel Stadium and El Plumazo.

Mexico and Argentina secured their places with 7-0 victories over South Africa and Singapore respectively in Group A, after Czechia were knocked out of Super Round contention due to their loss to Australia.

In Group B, a three-way tie between Canada, New Zealand and Venezuela favoured the North American and Oceania sides as per the tournament regulations - number of runs against recorded in the games among the three teams - to secure their places in the Super Round.

Earlier in the day, Canada beat Israel 7-0 led by Jordan Hudson who tossed five scoreless innings. New Zealand held on to third place in the group over Venezuela, despite Venezuela's win over Team WBSC, as the tie-breaker principle applied.

Czechia, Venezuela, South Africa Israel, Singapore and Team WBSC will play in the Placement Round.

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The Super Round and Placement Round schedule was announced following the conclusion of the Opening Round. Oceania rivals Australia and New Zealand will open the Super Round on Thursday at 14:30, followed by the encounter Mexico and Japan at 17:30 and the game between Argentina and Canada at 20:30.

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Day 5 Games

· Team WBSC 2-3 Venezuela - Boxscore

· Australia 2-0 Czechia - Boxscore

· Israel 0-7 Canada - Boxscore

· South Africa 0-7 Mexico - Boxscore

· Japan 5-0 New Zealand - Boxscore

· Singapore 0-7 Argentina - Boxscore

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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Tournament Schedule

Tournament Bracket

Day 5 Results

Day 6 Schedule

Opening Round Standings

Super Round and Placement Round Standings

Player of the Day

Live-stream via WBSC's GameTime.Sport

Social Media Highlights

Videos

WBSC U-23 Men’s Softball World Cup Day 5: Canada, Mexico, Argentina and New Zealand confirm spots to join Australia and Japan in Super Round

The final day of the Opening Round confirmed the four remaining qualified teams for the Super Round. Australia and Japan advanced to the Super Round earlier as winners of Group A and Group B, where they won all their games.

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Super Round schedule announced for WBSC U-23 Men’s Softball World Cup in Argentina

The U-23 Men’s Softball World Cup moves into the next phase of the tournament with No. 4 Australia, No. 3 Japan, No. 2 Canada, No. 8 Mexico, No. 1 Argentina and No. 7 New Zealand, set to compete head-to-head over the next three days, from 20-22 April.

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Lucio Retamar’s two-run single sparks Argentina victory against Singapore for Super Round spot

The Senior Men's Softball World Cup veteran gave Argentina the early lead to secure their third win and third-place finish in Group A, confirming their place in the Super Round with a 0-2 record.

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Taiga Onishi shuts out New Zealand to complete Japan’s Group B sweep

With the two teams already qualified for the Super Round, the matchup between Japan and New Zealand served as a Super Round game.

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Jesus Valdez, Jose Reyes throw no-hitter in Mexico's five-inning win over South Africa

Jesus Valdez and Jose Reyes tossed five combined innings of no-hit ball to lead Mexico finish the Opening Round with a 4-1 record and move to the Super Round with a win and a loss.

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Hudson helps Canada top Israel 7-0 in five innings

Hudson pitched the five innings for Canada, giving up two hits and a walk while striking out six. This is his first win in four appearances.

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Jack Besgrove throws no-hitter against Czechia, Australia move to Super Round undefeated

The victory moved the Oceania side to the Super Round undefeated, starting the next round with a 2-0 record. Czechia dropped their record to 2-3.

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Michell Chirinos propels Venezuela to walk-off win against Team WBSC

The outfielder drove a single over centre field and gave his team a walk-off victory. Venezuela closed the Opening Round with a 3-2 record and must wait for the result of the other games to know their fate in the tournament.

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