After Day 4 of the WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup 2025, presented by RAXUS, World No. 1 Japan and No. 3 USA have officially secured their spots in the Super Round. Meanwhile, No. 14 Italy and No. 19 China will move on to the Placement Round.
Group A: Japan Leads, Puerto Rico and Korea Still in the Mix
Japan remained undefeated in Group A after a dominant 10-0 win over No. 26 South Africa. With this victory, they now lead the group but still need a win against Puerto Rico on Day 5 to secure the top spot.
In a tightly contested matchup, No. 7 Puerto Rico edged out No. 12 Cuba 1-0, thanks to a combined pitching effort from Ethan De Jesus and Pablo Figueroa. The duo outdueled Cuba’s Marlon Garcia in a classic pitchers’ duel.
No. 4 Korea improved to 3-1 after shutting out Italy 8-0. To secure second place in the group, Korea must finish their suspended game against South Africa and win. South Africa, on the other hand, can create a three-way tie scenario by winning both their remaining games against Korea and Italy.
Related News
Cuba still has a chance to advance but must beat Korea on Day 5 and hope that Japan defeats Puerto Rico, which would also result in a three-way tie.
Group B: USA Dominates, Chinese Taipei Stays in the Hunt
Team USA punched their ticket to the Super Round with a five-inning, run-rule victory over China. With a perfect record so far, they have locked in first place in Group B. However, their Day 5 game against Australia will still count toward their Super Round standing.
No. 2 Chinese Taipei held off Australia with a commanding 10-2 win, putting them in sole possession of second place.
No. 9 Panama recorded their first win of the tournament, blanking No. 18 Germany 14-0. To advance, Panama must beat China, and hope for a USA win over Australia and a Chinese Taipei win over Germany. If that happens, the 14-run margin against Germany could play a key role in tie-breaker calculations.
Game Recaps
Japan 10, South Africa 0
Japan took an early lead, capitalizing on a walk and a balk by South African starter Tristan Fradd. Kazuki Takahata drove in the first run with a sacrifice fly, followed by Ryota Okumura’s RBI double. After a rain delay, Takumu Imaoka launched a two-run homer, and Japan closed it out with a four-run fifth inning. Daito Nakano earned the win, striking out nine in five innings.
Korea 8, Italy 0
Korea erupted for four runs in the second inning off Alessandro Gamberini, led by Jiho Park’s double. Despite managing just one more hit the rest of the game, Korea took advantage of four Italian errors to score four more. Pitchers Dongkun Shin, Taeyang Lee, and Junsang Eom combined for a no-hitter, striking out nine and walking just one.
Chinese Taipei 10, Australia 2
Australia loaded the bases in the first inning but couldn’t score. Chinese Taipei responded with a five-run outburst in the bottom half, capped by Shang-En Zeng’s two-RBI double. Starter Yi-Shiang Wang pitched four scoreless innings, while Australia managed two late runs to avoid the run-rule.
Panama 14, Germany 0
Panama delivered a dominant performance, no-hitting Germany and taking full advantage of six defensive errors and seven walks. Emilio Goetz struggled on the mound and didn’t make it out of the first inning. Panama scored nine of their 14 runs in the third inning, blowing the game wide open.
Puerto Rico 1, Cuba 0
In a classic pitchers’ duel, Puerto Rico managed just two hits—but made them count. Starter Ethan De Jesus pitched four solid innings, while reliever Pablo Figueroa shut the door with three more. The game’s only run came in the fourth when Emanuel Garcia singled in Jorhan Castro from second base.
USA 10, China 0
The USA opened strong with four runs in the first, highlighted by Will Brick’s two-RBI triple. Starter Yitong Li exited after the third inning, and the U.S. added five more runs off the bullpen. Brody Schumacher ended it with a walk-off RBI single in the fifth. Christopher Sampson threw a complete game, allowing just one hit and striking out six.
