WBSC Men's Softball World Cup 2024 - Day 2: USA stay undefeated with wins over Guatemala and Netherlands; Japan secure second victory, Colombia defeat South Africa
The USA took control of the WBSC Men's Softball World Cup Group C at Devon Park - OGE Energy Field in Oklahoma City, USA, with a pair of five-inning wins on Wednesday, improving their record to 3-0. Japan are the other undefeated team, having topped South Africa in the first game of the day to move to 2-0. Both teams will face off tomorrow in the most anticipated game of the Opening Round.
Colombia and Guatemala finished the day with a 1-1 record, tied for third place, followed by the Netherlands (0-2) and South Africa (0-3).
Japan topped South Africa 9-0 in five innings in the first game of Day 2. In the second match, Colombia defeated South Africa 3-0 in a tight pitching duel. The USA followed with back-to-back five-inning wins over Guatemala 7-0 and the Netherlands 11-10, staying undefeated in the tournament.
- Two tickets on offer to the Finals 2025, which will be played in Prince Albert, Canada in July next year.
- A total of 18 teams were split into three groups, with the top two teams in each group’s final standings advancing to the Finals.
- Group C in Oklahoma, USA, completes the group stage of the WBSC Men's Softball World Cup 2024/2025.
- World No. 4 Japan, No. 7 USA, No. 13 Guatemala, No. 17 Colombia, No. 18 South Africa and No. 19 Netherlands go head to head in Group C at OGE Energy Field at Devon Park.
- OGE Energy Field at Devon Park will host the women's softball competition at the LA28 Olympic Games.
- Group A, was played in Hermosillo, Mexico, from 12 to 16 June with Dominican Republic and Australia earning a ticket to the Finals.
- Group B was hosted in Prince Albert, Canada, from 10 to 14 July; with No. 1 Argentina and No. 10 New Zealand advancing to the Finals. No. 3 Canada secured a wild card.
- Group C features two former medallists - five-time World Champions USA, and three-time medallists Japan (two silvers, one bronze).
Key Links
- Schedule/live scoring
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- WBSC/KONAMI Men's Softball World Ranking
- Japan & USA start as favourites in Oklahoma City
- WBSC Men's Softball World Cup 2024 Group C - By the numbers
- All about OGE Energy at Devon Park
- WBSC Men's Softball World Cup Group C live on GameTime
- Six players to watch
- New tie-break system for Softball World Cups in play
- Day 1: Segura pitches gem as Guatemala beat South Africa; Japan defeat Netherlands in six; USA's Diaz shuts out Colombia
The first game of the day featured Japan and South Africa, who last faced each other in 2022 in Auckland, New Zealand. In that encounter, the Asian champions defeated South Africa 11-0 in four innings.
Japan used 12 hits and another strong performance from Shota Onodera to defeat South Africa 9-0 in Wednesday’s first game. Ryuji Okawa hit two triples, driving in two runs and scoring twice, while Tei Hamamoto went 2-for-4 with a triple, a double, one RBI, and two runs scored.
You can read the full match report here and see the box score and play-by-play of the game here.
In their second game of the day, South Africa faced Colombia, marking the first time both teams met in a Men's Softball World Cup.
Behind a one-hit performance by Ramiro Escorcia, Colombia secured their first win of the tournament with a 3-0 victory over South Africa. The veteran right-hander struck out seven in a complete-game effort. For South Africa, Kagiso Aphane pitched six innings, allowing three runs on four hits with three strikeouts.
This is Colombia's first Men's Softball World Cup win in over 11 years, with their last victory coming on 5 March 2013 against Mexico, 5-0.
Full game report here. You can view the box score and play-by-play here.
The USA also faced a doubleheader on Wednesday, starting with a 7-0 win over Guatemala in the third game of the day. Marco Diaz pitched four quality innings to lead his team, while Jonathan Lynch hit a two-run homer in the fifth and collected three RBIs in the game.
Read the full report here. Check the box score and play-by-play here.
In their second match, the USA faced the Netherlands. The last time these two teams met in a Men's Softball World Cup was on 14 June 2019 in Prague, Czechia, where the USA won 5-3.
Tonight, the USA used five home runs and 17 hits to defeat the Netherlands 11-0 in five innings. Erick Ochoa, Blaine Milheim, Jonathan Lynch, Tyler Johnson, and Frank Kimlinger all went yard for the hosts, while Eldrick Dijkhoff collected all three hits for the Netherlands.
Read the full report here. Check the box score and play-by-play here.
Thursday's schedule will see Guatemala and Japan playing twice. Both teams play at 13:00 local time in the second game of the day. The Central American squad will open the day at 10:00 against the Netherlands, in a key game for both teams' Playoff hopes, while Japan will meet Colombia at 16:00. In the last game of the day at 19:00, the USA will face South Africa.