SEOUL, April 8 (silubaba) -- Olympic champion Japan defeated China 6-0 in the final to defend their Women's Softball Asia Cup title in Incheon, South Korea on Saturday.
Due to weather and field conditions, all matches were postponed on Wednesday, which caused a delay in the schedule. With consensus from team managers and coaches, the organizers decided to skip semifinals and placement matches. Top two teams after the round robin advance into the final while the third and fourth placed teams vie for bronze.
Both with a 6-1 record, China beat Chinese Taipei 11-1 on Friday to book a final clash with Japan, who topped the rankings with a clean record.
Dropping only one point during their round robin matches, Japan took an early lead in the bottom of the first inning as Ayane Nakagawa hit a solo home run. The defending champions doubled the lead in the second inning and killed any suspense with a four-point sixth inning.
In the bronze medal match, Chinese Taipei defeated the Philippines 10-5.
As the tournament's top four teams, Japan, China, Chinese Taipei and the Philippines have qualified for the XVII WBSC Women's Softball World Cup Group Stage to be held in July in Europe, where 18 teams are divided into three groups. Top two teams from each group, plus two wild cards, will advance to the eight-team World Cup Finals 2024 in Italy.
China is allocated into Group B with Spain, Cuba, the Netherlands, Puerto Rico and South Africa, with fixtures to be played in Valencia, Spain on July 18-22. ■
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