Japan beat Chinese Taipei to clinch U-15 Women's Softball Asia Cup, both advance to World Cup in Italy

Japan only needed five innings to claim a 7-0 win over Chinese Taipei in the final of the WBSC U-15 Women's Softball Asia Cup and clinch the continental title. Both teams earned a ticket to the WBSC U-15 Women's Softball World Cup 2025, set to take place in Italy in July. The tournament was played at Fu-Hsing Softball Stadium in Puli, Taiwan. 

A five-run rally in the second inning was the turning point of the game, which saw four pitchers pitching by committee to complete the shutout for Japan. Haru Kitamura, who worked 1.2 innings in relief, was the winning pitcher. Offensively, third baseman Ichigo Suzuki and first baseman Mioka Mochizuki connected two hits and drove in two runs in the game.

Japan finished the tournament undefeated with six wins in as many games, outscoring their opponents 97-2.

For the bronze medal, Singapore defeated Hong Kong, China, 10-3, and secured third place in the six-team competition. You can see the final standings here.

The WBSC U-15 Women's Softball World Cup will take place in Legnano and Caronno Pertusela, Italy, from 27 June to 5 July. The qualified teams so far are:

• Africa (1)
• Americas (4): No. 1 USA, No. 9 Mexico, No. 3 Puerto Rico, No. 6 Canada
• Asia (2): No. 2 Japan, No. 4 Chinese Taipei
• Europe (3): No. 7 Italy, No. 8 Czechia, No. 13 Spain
• Oceania (2): No. 10 Australia, No. 64 American Samoa