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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 -- Argentina's Juan Jose Pepe's Player of the Day performance, throwing the first no-hit, no-run in the history of the WBSC U-23 Men's Softball World Cup, headlined Day 3 action at the Nafaldo Cargnel Stadium and El Plumazo on Monday.
The 22-year-old, who pitched six perfect innings, retiring 18 batters with 19 strikeouts, led Argentina to a much-needed win against Czechia with the world No. 1 having suffered from two defeats from their opening two Group A games.
Meanwhile, group leaders Australia, Mexico, Japan and New Zealand maintained their unbeaten run.
Australia and Mexico, in joint pole position in Group A with three victories apiece, lodged huge comeback wins to stay on the winning track.
Jeremy Garland starred in Australia's come-from-behind win against South Africa as he scored a run and drove a two-of-three hitting effort, which included a double, triple and three RBIs.
Mexico overcame Singapore's strong performance in the first and third innings to win 8-5 with the help of Luis Rodriguez who drove in a triple, an inside-the-park home run and four RBIs.
Meanwhile, Japan and New Zealand lead Group B following respective triumphs over Canada and Team WBSC. Venezuela are in solo third with a 2-1 record after a win over Israel.
Japan cruised to victory against Canada, as their well-balanced offence complemented the efforts of three pitchers Kazuka Umibe, Taiga Onishi and Koki Yagi to limit their rivals with just two hits and one run in the game.
While Japan utilised multiple pitchers to win, Venezuela put their fate in hands of Jose Chirinos, who turned in a complete game to beat Israel.
In the other Group B game, Huw Davies' persistence and power propelled the 10-hit offence of New Zealand against Team WBSC to secure their third consecutive win.
Day 3 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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