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 – Australia will play Japan in the final of the inaugural WBSC U-23 Men's Softball World Cup after Ashlee Goffer’s three-run home run and Jack Besgrove’s near-perfect pitching performance helped the world No. 4 beat world No. 2 Canada 4-0 on an exciting final day of Super Round action in Parana on Saturday. Argentina and Mexico also set up a bronze medal matchup after victories over Japan and New Zealand, respectively.
Player of the Day Ashlee Goffer provided the spark for the Australian offence as he smacked the ball to deep right centre field off Canadian southpaw starter Reese Yantzi for a three-run lead in the top of the first, while Besgrove completed the win with a pitching masterpiece. The senior softball world champion was one walk away from perfection as he hurled another no-run, no-hit game with 10 strikeouts.
With the day starting with Japan already booked in the final but five other teams still in medal contention, world No. 1 Argentina ended Japan's unbeaten streak with a 1-0 win over the world No. 3 in extras. The hosts will play in the bronze medal game against world No. 10 Mexico, who earlier came up with a walk-off win against New Zealand.
The 3-2 win-loss records of Australia, Mexico and Argentina created a triple tie in second place. However, Australia earned the spot in the final as they defeated the two Latin American squads in their head-to-head games. The Oceania powerhouse will make their third consecutive finals appearance across all WBSC Men's Softball World Cups.
Meanwhile, the Placement Round was completed with Czechia coming out on top with a 5:0 win:loss record to finish seventh overall after their win against Team WBSC. Venezuela secured eighth place with victory over South Africa.
Singapore placed ninth ahead of Israel, after the world No. 14 ended their campaign on high note with a 6-1 triumph over the world No. 21.
Team WBSC and South Africa concluded their U-23 Men’s Softball World Cup stints in 11th and 12th positions, respectively.
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Day 8 Games
Super Round
· New Zealand 4-3 Mexico - Boxscore
· Canada 0-4 Australia - Boxscore
· Argentina 1-0 Japan - Boxscore
Placement Round
· South Africa 1-4 Venezuela - Boxscore
· Team WBSC 0-8 Czechia - Boxscore
· Singapore 6-1 Israel - Boxscore
Tournament Stats
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