14-Nov-2012
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PARANÁ, ARGENTINA -- Argentina was crowned World Champion this weekend for the first time in history, after beating Japan 5-0 in the final game of the IX ISF Jr. Men’s World Championship. The home team won the title undefeated, winning all their games in the tournament. Third place went toAustralia, losing in the playoff with Japan by 5-4, in ten innings.
A crowd of more than seven thousand people witnessed the final on a historic day for SoftballArgentina, which was broadcasted live on TV and High Definition for the entire country on Public TV.
The game started with an exciting pitching duel between starters Huemul Mata and Kento Okazaki, who both had a no-hitter heading into the fourth inning. The first run of the game came in the top of the fourth. Joaquín Alegre got on base with a walk, and then Roman Godoy hit an RBI triple to put the game 1-0. That was all for Okazaki, who threw 3.1 innings and recorded 1 H, 1 R, 3 BB and 3 K. In relief, Ogushi Taiki worked three innings and allowed the other 4 runs, with 3 hits, 3 walks and 5 strikeouts. The remaining runs were scored in the sixth (1 run) and seventh (3 runs).
On the defensive side, Huemul Mata had a sensational night, being close to a perfect game, allowing just 1 hit in 6.2 innings, striking out 6, allowing no walks or runs. Mata only received help from Franco Gini, who entered in the sixth inning to face one batter. Mata then returned to complete the game.
Australia, who was unable to defend their title, received the bronze medal after a long day. In the first game, they defeated New Zealand 2-1, and then beat Canada by 3-2. However, in the medal game lost to Japan 5-4 in ten innings.
Fourth place went to Canada, which defeated USA 4-2, but could not stay in the race after losing against Australia.
About the ISF
The ISF is the world governing body of the sport as recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and SportAccord (formerly the General Association of International Sports Federations). Softball (women's fast pitch) made its Olympic debut at the 1996 Games in Atlanta. There are 127 affiliated countries in the ISF and millions of participants in the sport worldwide.
MEDIA: For more information, please contact the ISF at info@ISFsoftball.org or +1 813 864 0100. |
