WBSC U-18 Women's Softball World Cup: Japan, China and Puerto Rico join Chinese Taipei and Czechia in Finals 2025
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<p>World No. 2 Japan and No. 11 China advanced to the WBSC U-18 Women's Softball World Cup Finals 2025, finishing first and second in Group B. They became the third and fourth teams participating in the Finals after <a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="No. 4 Chinese Taipei and No. 10 Czechia (opens in a new tab)" href="https://www.wbsc.org/en/events/2025-ii-u-18-womens-softball-world-cup-finals/news/wbsc-u-18-womens-softball-world-cup-finals-2025-chinese-taipei-czechia-clinch-first-tickets" target="_blank">No. 4 Chinese Taipei and No. 10 Czechia</a> punched their ticket in Group A.</p>
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<p>No. 3 Puerto Rico finished third and earned one of the two Wild Card Spots, becoming the fifth finalist.</p>
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<p><img src="https://static.wbsc.org/assets/cms/shares/WhatsApp_Bild_2024-08-19_um_18_15_34_34c8c74a.jpg" alt="Qualified Teams for U-18 Women's Softball World Cup 2025" width="100%" height="auto"></a></p>
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<p>Inclement weather plagued the tournament. The first day was entirely rained out, and a number of games were postponed. All games since Game 7 were played over five innings, while the tournament schedule only allowed for the Opening Round to be completed. </p>
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<p>Japan dominated Group B, outscoring the opponents 49-3. </p>
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<p>Centre fielder Yuwa Shiota earned Group B Most Outstanding Player honours, going 8-for-14 with four RBIs in four games, with a .571 batting average and a .647 on-base percentage.</p>
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<p>China earned key wins against No. 6 Netherlands (3-0), No. 3 Puerto Rico (3-1) and No. 7 Italy (1-0). Yuyan Duan and Menghuan Zhou showcased dominant pitching in these games, but they couldn't stop Japan's bats on the final day's head-to-head.</p>
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<p>Puerto Rico finished third with a 3-2 record, besting Group A's third-place team, No. 34 New Zealand (3-4), thus earning one of two Wild Card tickets.</p>
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<p>Group C is scheduled from August 29 to September 2 in Dallas, Texas, USA.</p>
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<p>World No. 1 USA will host No. 5 Canada, No. 8 Mexico, No. 9 Australia, No. 16 Philippines and No. 21 Ireland. The top two finishers will advance to the finals.</p>
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<p>Dallas will also host the <a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="Finals 2025 (opens in a new tab)" href="https://www.wbsc.org/en/events/2024-ii-u-18-womens-softball-world-cup-group-c/home" target="_blank">Finals 2025</a>. Eight teams, including two Wild Cards, will participate in the tournament.</p>
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