WBSC U-18 Women’s Softball World Cup Group B - Final Day: Japan and China advance to Finals 2025

The WBSC U-18 Women's Softball World Cup 2024 Group B tournament in Pingtan, China concluded on Sunday with just two games - the Netherlands beating Italy in a 3-2 thriller while Japan were too good for China, winning 21-2 in the game between the undefeated sides - which completed Opening Round play.

Due to the weather disruptions throughout the week - with the first day rained out and a number of games postponed - all games since Game #7 were played over five innings while the tournament schedule only allowed for the Opening Round to be completed with all teams having completed the round-robin.

With the top two teams punching a ticket to the WBSC U-18 Women's Softball World Cup Finals 2025, Japan and China had already confirmed their places in the Finals on Saturday but on Sunday it was for the honour of who remained unbeaten in the tournament.

The showdown of two best teams in Group B

Japan and China played the final game of the Group B games with an undefeated record of 4-0, and both teams sent their ace to the mound in the hope of maintaining the perfect record.

Japan has been a powerhouse on the field, as recognised by all head coaches from the five other teams. The 6-0 record against every other team in Group B during the past three editions of the WBSC U-18 Women's Softball World Cup also made Japan the favourite to advance to the Finals.

With Momoko Chinomi starting three games and maintaining a perfect ERA (0), Hiiro Taniguchi, Yumeka Kagen, and Kana Watanabe, among many other batters possessing productive stats with solid defence performances, Japan was regarded as an all-around team and the favourite to advance to the Finals.

China entered the Group B tournament as a team mixed with raw and seasoned talent. In addition to the young Yuyan Duan being a standout on the mound, China is known for its solid defence and timely offence. During the first four games, China committed no errors and was one of the only two teams (Japan) in Group B to display its superior defence.

During the tournament, Duan, the youngest player on the team, started all four games and collected three wins leading up to the showdown against Japan. "Of course, we are known for our defence, but her (Duan's) presence on the mound does stabilise our defence behind her," said China's head coach Weigang Huang.

Japan showcased their powerful offence

In the tournament's final game, Japan displayed their batting power behind their starter, Chinomi. She pitched 3 and 2/3 innings, allowing just one hit and striking out four before Sari Nagatomo replaced her in the final inning. Japan's offence went all out in the fourth, as 22 batters went to the plate and drove in 16 runs, prompting China to go to their relievers before bringing Duan back to the game to close the inning with Japan securing the win 21-2.

"It's a perfect opportunity for a young player such as Duan to get more experience," said China's head coach Huang. "She did not have that much international game experience, and she will be our ace on the team heading to Dallas next year, and this is a good opportunity for her to get her feet wet," said Huang.

Italy threatened, but the Netherlands held on to win

The Netherlands and Italy, both with the record of 1-3, played their final game of the Opening Round at 09:00 in the hope of collecting a second victory.

The Dutch took a 3-0 lead after three innings, but Italy scored one run in the fourth to make it a two-run game at the time.

Italy made another comeback attempt in the bottom of the fifth, scoring one run to pull themselves closer to the Netherlands before the Dutch finally defeated Italy, 3-2, to collect their second win of the tournament.

Key Links

• WBSC U-18 Women's Softball World Cup Group Stage format
• Schedule/Box Scores
• Live Streaming
• Live clips on X
• Highlights
• Photos
• WBSC/KONAMI Women's Softball World Ranking

Game #15: Japan vs. China Boxscore

Two undefeated teams in the tournament meet in the final game of the opening round to determine the seed for their trip to Dallas, USA, for the WBSC U-18 Women's Softball World Cup Finals 2025. Both teams send their ace to the mound: Yuyan Duan (3-0, ERA 0.31), making her fifth start for China, and Momoko Chinomi (1-0, ERA 0), her fourth start in the tournament.

On top of the first, Kana Watanabe led off with a single, and Aisa Noda drove in the first run of the game with one out before Yumeka Kagen singled to double the lead with the score of 2-0 in the first inning.

In the second inning, Japan continued to capitalize on China's defensive miscues. Two runs were scored on Duan's throwing error, and another run was added on a fielding error, increasing Japan's lead to five runs after two innings.

In the fourth, Japan's offense went all out, forcing China to go to their relievers after starter Duan gave up ten runs (six earned) on eight hits. However, Japan scored 16 runs alone in the fourth inning, prompting China to bring their starter, Duan, back to the game to finally put a stop to Japan's offense.

China managed to score two runs in the bottom of the fourth to finish the game with the score of 21-2, avoiding being shut off and finishing the tournament with a 4-1 record. Undefeated Japan completed the Group B schedule with a 5-0 record as both Japan and China advance to the WBSC U-18 Women's Softball World Cup Finals 2025

Game #12: Netherlands vs. Italy Boxscore

In the last game of the tournament, the Netherlands send Lizzy Kwakernaak to the mound to face Italy's Emma Silva, both in the hope of bringing the second victory for the team in the tournament.

After both teams went scoreless in the first two innings, Netherlands scored three runs on a pair of hits, walks, and wild pitches, and subsequently forced Italy to go to their third pitcher of the day.

In the bottom of the fourth, Kylie Milano provided Italy with the most critical at-bat by hitting a triple to start the inning; Milano later scored the first run for Italy with a fielder's choice to make it a two-run game.

In the bottom of the fifth, Italy attempted to come back. Vittoria Zumerle singled after two outs, and Italy scored the second run on Felicia Di Pancrazio's single to make it a one-run game. However, that was all Italy would come up as the Netherlands won the final game of their schedule and finished the tournament with a 2-4 record, while Italy finished with 1-4.

Key News

• WBSC U-18 Women’s Softball World Cup Group B Day 4: China, Japan, Netherlands and Puerto Rico win
• WBSC U-18 Women’s Softball World Cup Group B Day 3: Japan, China remain unbeaten, Italy and Puerto Rico also on the winners' board
• WBSC U-18 Women’s Softball World Cup Group B Day 2: Japan, Puerto Rico collect wins on another rain affected day, China vs. Peru to resume tomorrow
• WBSC U-18 Women's Softball World Cup Group B opening day games postponed due to rain
• The stars of the next generation are in Pingtan: A preview of the WBSC U-18 Women’s Softball World Cup Group B
• Pingtan welcomes six teams for WBSC U-18 Women’s Softball World Cup Group B, action starts Wednesday
• Where to Watch
• Ten things to know about the WBSC U-18 Women's Softball World Cup 2024 Group B
• Celebrating the ninth anniversary of Pingtan Softball Stadium
• By the Numbers
• Meet Pingtan: The future baseball/softball demonstration complex welcomes WBSC U-18 Women's Softball World Cup Group B
• WBSC U-18 Women’s Softball World Cup: A bright future for Olympic softball
• GameTime's 2024 Season Pass now available. Eleven events; 303 Baseball, Softball, Baseball5 games included