Super Round Day 3 - WBSC U-23 Men's Softball World Cup

APRIL 22, 2023

Ashlee Goffer gets offence going for Australia to reach World Championship Final; Biondi bunt breaks Japan winning streak as Argentina set up bronze medal matchup with Mexico

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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Tournament Schedule

Tournament Bracket

Day 8 Results

Day 9 Schedule - Medal Games

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 8: Australia to play Japan for World Championship title; Argentina to face Mexico for bronze

With Japan qualified for the WBSC U-23 Men’s Softball World Cup final, Saturday’s Super Round games confirmed the three other teams who will play the medal games on Sunday.

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Luciano Biondi lays down surprise bunt to clinch Argentina's 1-0 ninth inning win over Japan

Argentina’s pitchers Matias Etchevers and Juan Jose Pepe combined for a nine-inning shutout against one of the most powerful lineups of the tournament.

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Ashlee Goffer, Jack Besgrove hold off Canada as Australia reach World Championship final

Australia and Japan will meet in Sunday’s World Championship Final, setting up a repeat of their matchups in the final of the last two U-18 Men's Softball World Cups in 2018 and 2020, claiming one world title apiece.

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Bin Mohammad's grand slam propels Singapore past Israel for final Placement Round win

The Singaporean infielder went 2-for-4 with four RBIs and scored a run to lead his team to a 6-1 victory over Israel.

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Jorge Martinez walk-off double sends Mexico to medal game

With two runners on and New Zealand on the lead at 4-3, Jorge Martinez hit a two-out double down the left field line that gave Mexico a 5-3 win to secure a spot in the medal game.

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Hajny, Buchner, Magula homer as Czechia beat Team WBSC to secure seventh place

Jonas Hajny pitched five innings of one-hit ball for Czechia, with seven strikeouts and a walk. He earned his third win of the tournament, and closed the World Cup with a 0.78 ERA, with 31 strikeouts.

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Michell Chirinos triples twice as Venezuela rally for eighth-place finish against South Africa

Venezuela ended the Placement Round stint with a 4-1 record to finish eighth overall in the standings. South Africa concluded their campaign in the tournament with a 1-4 record and must wait for the results of the remaining Placement Round games to determine their final position.

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