USA claim inaugural WBSC U-15 Women's Softball World Cup title

World No. 1 USA prevailed in the unprecedented championship showdown with Puerto Rico in the inaugural WBSC U-15 Women's Softball World Cup at Ota Stadium on Sunday.

USA now holds every World Championship title in women's softball, namely the WBSC U-15, U-18 and Senior tournaments.

Prior to the win, USA collected seven wins and dropped one match against hosts Japan last Friday but bounced back against Chinese Taipei to secure the spot in the final. Puerto Rico also had seven wins, including four in the Opening Round and a perfect sweep of three wins in the Super Round.

These two sides met in the Opening Round last October 23, with USA winning the game with a 6-0 margin.

Day 8 Results

Gold Medal Game: Puerto Rico v USA 0-3

USA outplayed Puerto Rico behind Macie Bryant's masterful pitching performance to claim the title of World Champions in the WBSC U-15 Women's Softball World Cup. Bryant had seven innings of work, allowing only one run and 17 strikeouts.

In the top of the first, Bryant struck out the first three batters. Her teammates leadoff hitter Aspen Boulware and Stevie took care of the next half of the inning with singles.

Boulware zoomed from bases to home plate on a stolen base, a single by Stevie South and an error for USA's first run; then South completed the inning with another run on a sacrifice bunt.

By the fifth inning, Bryant have already collected 12 strikeouts, leaving the Puerto Ricans still searching for their first run.

The USA pitcher then allowed Puerto Rico's first hit off Miyah Davis' bat, then got the third out of the top of the sixth inning with a swinging strikeout.

USA jumpstarted their offence one more time in the bottom of the fifth. With only one out and two runners in scoring position, Riley Staats lined a single down to right field to score Samantha Alekman and stretch the USA lead to 3-0.

Bryant finalised the gold medal win for the USA, retiring the Puerto Rican batters in order with two strikeouts and a ground out.

U-15 Women's Softball World Cup: As it happened

Day 8: Japan jubilant with bronze win in Tokyo
Day 7: USA and Puerto Rico advance to gold medal game; Japan and Chinese Taipei to play for bronze
Day 6: Japan beat USA to lead Super Round; Puerto Rico in joint-second with USA after Mexico win
Day 5: Japan and USA stay perfect; Puerto Rico clinch key win over Chinese Taipei
Day 4: Japan and USA head to Super Round with undefeated records; Chinese Taipei, Puerto Rico, Mexico and Philippines also advance
Day 3: Japan, USA keep perfect records; Mexico, Chinese Taipei, Puerto Rico pick up third victories
Day 2: Japan, USA and Puerto Rico keep win records intact; Chinese Taipei, Czechia, Peru claim first wins; Mexico bounce back to beat Italy
Day 1: Japan take victory on opening day of home World Cup; USA, Mexico, Italy, Philippines also post wins

Quick Links

• Where to Watch: Maiden edition of WBSC U-15 Women’s Softball World Cup on GameTime
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• WBSC President Riccardo Fraccari: More exciting times ahead for baseball/softball following LA28 inclusion
• WBSC U-15 Women’s Softball World Cup Preview: Tokyo’s bright lights shine for softball’s next wave of stars
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• Dates confirmed for WBSC U-15 Women’s Softball World Cup 2023
• Venue announced for inaugural WBSC U-15 Women’s Softball World Cup in Japan
• Inaugural U-15 Women’s Softball World Cup awarded to Japan Softball Association to be staged in Tokyo