WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup: Japan and USA win thrillers, will meet again Sunday in World Championship Final – World Baseball Softball Confederation

A dramatic second day of the Super Round at the WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup 2025 presented by RAXUS in Okinawa on Friday saw all three games finishing with a one-run difference, two with a 1-0 score and the third went two extra innings.

In the first Super Round game of the day, Chinese Taipei beat Puerto Rico 1-0 at Cellular Stadium in Naha before USA pipped Korea 1-0 at Nishizaki Stadium in Itoman City while Japan overcame Panama 6-5 in Naha. All three results confirmed Japan and USA in the World Championship Final for only the fourth time – USA winning the previous occasions (1982, 2013, 2015). Japan will be the home team.

Korea and Chinese Taipei will play for the bronze medal. The results of the games on Saturday, September 13, will decide the home team.

Japan won a nine-inning drama against Panama to stay undefeated. The defending World Champions entered the bottom of the sixth down 1-0 and managed to take the game to extra innings. Panama scored four in the top of the eighth, and Japan tied it in the bottom half of the frame. Samurai Japan walked it off in the bottom of the ninth on a full-count squeeze bunt perfectly executed by Hyuma Okabe.

“It was a full count. Squeeze play on a strike. I trusted Okabe; I knew he could do it. That’s why I gave the [squeeze] sign,” said Samurai Japan manager Masayoshi Ogura postgame.

USA manufactured a win over Korea that proved crucial. Left-hander Giovanni Rojas dominated Korea’s lineup. He threw a complete game shutout, allowing only two hits and striking out 10 Korean batters. His lineup scored the winning run in the bottom of the seventh.

Chinese Taipei defeated Puerto Rico, improving their record to 2-2. The game was a superb pitching duel. Starters Shih-Chan Chen and Richard De Jesus went the distance, and Chinese Taipei won it in the second extra inning with an RBI single by Kai-Qi Li, representing only their second hit of the day.

In the Placement Round, Cuba defeated Germany at Okinawa Cellular Stadium in Naha to maintain a perfect record. It was a close game and Cuba won despite having fewer hits and committing three defensive errors. Cuba will finish seventh.

Italy beat China at Nishizaki Stadium in Itoman to improve to 3-1 and stay in eighth place. Australia outscored South Africa and is still in the mix for eighth place. China will finish 11th, and South Africa will finish 12th.

All games are live on GameTime, the WBSC OTT platformExceptions may apply in Japan, Korea and Taiwan

SUPER ROUND GAMESUSA-Korea 1-0

Giovanni Rojas showcased a 96 miles per hour (or 154 kilometres per hour) fastball and excellent command. The two-way phenom cruised through the Korean lineup, allowing only two hits: Jiho Park’s two-out triple in the top of the third and Jiseok Kim’s two-out single in the top of the seventh. He also allowed two walks and struck out 10, using 100 pitches, 67 for strikes.

All the run support Rojas needed came in the bottom of the third. Korean starter Taeyan Lee left after allowing Aiden Ruiz a leadoff single. USA welcomed reliever Joel Kim with back-to-back singles by Coleman Borthwick and Christopher Sampson. The latter scored Ruiz for the only out of the game. Lee got out of the inning, getting Andrew Costello to ground into a double play and Will Brick to fly out. There wouldn’t be other scoring chances.

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Japan-Panama 6-5

Luis Rivera tripled on Japan’s starter Shota Morishita third offering. He scored Panama’s go-ahead run on a groundout.

The lead held through five innings thanks to solid pitching by Panama’s reliever Juan Ortega and some spectacular defensive plays.

Hikaru Tamenaga scored Abe Yota with an RBI single in the bottom of the sixth to send the game to extra innings.

Panama scored four in the top of the eighth. Japan’s starter Shota Morishita left with two outs and the tie-break runners at second and first. Relievers Raito Okumura and Ryusa Tsuji allowed four runs on one hit, three walks and a hit batter.

In the bottom half of the frame, Kaito Fujimori singled off Ortega to load the bases. Abe Yota and Ryota Okumura delivered back-to-back singles to make it a one-run game and send Ortega to the showers. Tamenaga welcomed reliever Joshua Martinez with an RBI single that tied the game. With the potential winning run at second, Yu Yokohama grounded into an inning-ending double play.

In the bottom of the ninth, Japan bunted the tie-break runners to third and second, and Panama responded by intentionally walking Sakamoto. Hyuma Okabe worked the count full, then dropped a perfect bunt, squeezing in Tamenaga from third for the winning run.

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Chinese Taipei-Puerto Rico 1-0

It was the best pitching duel in the XXXII WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup.

Chinese Taipei’s right-hander Shih-Chan Chen allowed two singles over seven innings, by Javeth Carrion in the second and Emanuel Hernandez in the fifth, while striking out five. He used 96 pitches, 68 for strikes.

Puerto Rico’s hurler Richard De Jesus allowed one hit and one walk. Another runner reached on a defensive error. De Jesus used 100 pitches, 60 for strikes. The only Chinese Taipei hit was a two-out single by Sheng-En Zeng in the bottom of the sixth.

In the top of the eighth, Chinese Taipei handed the ball to Chen-Fan Lai. Joniel Miranda took the mound for Puerto Rico.

Chinese Taipei won the game in the bottom of the ninth. The tie-break runners, Shu-Cheng Hsu and Pasula Takislinian, advanced on a double steal. Right fielder Kai-Qi Li got to Miranda’s fifth pitch and turned it into a single in shallow centre field, despite a brave diving attempt by Diego Hornedo. Hsu could trot home for the winning run.

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PLACEMENT ROUND GAMESAustralia-South Africa 12-3

Australia reversed South Africa’s early lead with a nine-run bottom of the second on their way to a run-difference rule win in five innings. Australia got six of their 11 hits in the at-bat and capitalised on a pair of defensive errors. William Hardy (3-for-3) and Josh Nati (1-for-3) had two RBIs. Lachlan Vella went 2-for-2 with an RBI.

After a disappointing start by Deakin Filko, who allowed two runs on three hits in the top of the first, Ashton Kennedy and Nate Quigg limited South Africa to one hit and one walk.

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Cuba-Germany 4-3

Germany scored early against Marlon Garcia and took the lead into the bottom of the fourth, when Cuba got to starter Matthias Bullman with three runs. Javier Zambrano hit a two-RBI single, and Yordan Artiles followed with an RBI double.

Germany tied the game in the top of the fifth when pinch hitter Jann Schierhorn needed just one pitch from reliever Leandro Forteza to deliver an RBI triple.

In the bottom half of the frame, Cuba scored the winning run. Leandro Perez tripled off reliever Moser and scored on a groundout.

Edurman Cruz walked the first batter in the top of the seventh and left for Edenis Cruz, Cuba’s fourth pitcher. Germany loaded the bases with two outs, but Cruz ended the game getting Emilio Gotz to fly out to left field.

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Italy-China 6-3

Italy scored three runs in the bottom of the first against Zijian Zheng, the first of six Chinese pitchers. With a runner at third and two outs, Zheng walked the bases loaded, and Daniele Di Persia cleared them with a three-RBI triple.

After China got on the scoreboard against Mattia Muscio in the top of the fifth, Italy added three runs to open the score. Aldo Pavarani hit a two-RBI double, sending reliever Yuchang Hu to the showers. Pablo Suarez welcomed Xiabo Li with an RBI single and made it 6-1.

China got to Musco in the top of the sixth with four one-out singles, including a two-RBI base hit by Weniong Liu, thus making the top of the seventh interesting. Ivan Larice hit the leadoff batter and hit another one with two outs before retiring Haonan Chen on a fly to right, ending the game.

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