Team Japan tops USA in gold-medal game to repeat as women's baseball world champions

Team Japan has once again been crowned women's baseball world champions.

Japan successfully defended its title at the 2024 Women's Baseball World Cup, defeating the United States 11-6 in the championship final at Port Arthur Stadium on Saturday.

"It was a great game," Japan Manager Risa Nakashima said following the win. "It was tense at the end."

Japan had just one loss during the week-long tournament; that came to the United States on Thursday, during the final day of round-robin play.

Nakashima said teamwork was behind Japan's success.

"We played as a team," she said. "If you look at the [individual] awards, no one got it."

Japan and the United States took the field at 3 p.m. under a light rain, and while both teams were kept scoreless for the first two innings,Japan broke through in the top of the third.

Nanako Hanabusa singled, and was then moved to second courtesy of a sacrifice bunt by Kae Iwami.

Ayaka Deguchi then singled to right field, advancing Hanabusa to third. A wild throw home, however, gave Hanabusa the opportunity to cross home plate safely, and Japan was up 1-0.

Japan added one more run shortly after, when Haruna Tadano singled down the left field line, scoring Deguchi.

That was followed-up by a two-run homer off the bat of Yuki Kawabata, giving Japan a 4-0 lead as the game moved into the fourth inning.

The United States made up some of the deficit in the top of the fourth, scoring one run.

But Japan's offence kept rolling, scoring three more runs in the top of the fourth, and four in the top of the fifth.

But the USA bounced back with a three-run homer over the centre field wall from Alexandra Hugo in the bottom of the inning, making the score 11-4.

The USA held Japan scoreless in the top of the sixth. Then, in the bottom of the inning, the USA found itself with the bases loaded, with no outs, and Ashton Lansdell at bat.

A fly to mid-centre field found the grass, and the USA scored one, and kept the bases loaded.

Hugo struck out, giving Japan its first out of the inning. She was followed at the plate by Naomi Ryan, who was thrown out at first, but brought home one more run in the process, making the score 11-6 in favour of Japan.

Japan couldn't add to its lead in the top of the seventh, but the USA couldn't make up any more ground in the bottom of the inning, either, and Japan took the game, and the championship, 11-6.

"Tough loss," Team USA Manager Veronica Alvarez said following the game. "We were very much geared up and focused on winning a gold medal."

"We've all been locked-in on the mission of being number one in the world, and so everyone's disappointed," she said. "It's an accomplishment to be silver after our 2018 finish, but we know that we have the talent on this team, we know that we have the team culture to win a gold and be world champions, so it is a letdown."

The USA lost to Canada in 2018's bronze medal game; the championship that year also went to Japan.

Canada defeats Mexico 4-1 to win bronze

Canada repeated that feat on Saturday, taking home the bronze medal once again after defeating Mexico 4-2 at Port Arthur Stadium.

"The feeling is incredible," pitcher Alexane Fournier said. "Just playing here for the world cup, it's incredible."

"Getting back home with a medal, it's unbelievable, I have no words to describe it," she said. "We played as a team, we played as a family, and everyone has their role, and played it very well. I think that was the key."

Mexico opened the scoring in the top of the second, courtesy of a Denise Perez home run to left field.

Canada tied things up at one run apiece in the bottom of the third, then took the lead when Ela Day-Bedard was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded; the inning wrapped up with Canada up 2-1.

Canada added some insurance in the bottom of the fifth, when an Andreanne Leblanc double brought in Mia Valcke. That was followed by a single from Alizee Gelinas, which scored Leblanc from second, giving Canada a 4-1 lead.

Mexico fought back in the top of the seventh, but the one run they scored wasn't enough; Canada took the tournament's bronze medal with a 4-2 win.

"Sophy[Gagne]'s our closer, she's got ice our veins, and even though she made it a little bit scary, it was still, you're gonna live and die by the people you live and die by, and she did it for us," Team Canada Manager Anthony Pluta said after the game. "That was awesome."

"We continued to build on our success," he said. "We learned from our failures. Every game was a building block to take us where we are now."

"We put it all together, and did exactly what we wanted to do."

Things don't really slow down for Team Canada now, however. Pluta said each province will field their teams at a national showcase, which takes place in Quebec in a little over a week.

"The majority of these girls will be playing with their home province," he said. "I'll go and watch that, and we'll build a big database of girls that we'll start to get ready and follow through the winter, and get ready for next year."

The next Women's Baseball World Cup will take place in 2027.