Japan defeats USA in front of 31k Tokyo Dome crowd to open three-game international softball series

Post date: Jun 24, 2016 12:54:42 AM

TOKYO – Japan defeated USA, 5-1, in front of 31,448 fans at the Tokyo Dome in a battle of the top ranked women’s national teams in the world. This is the first time a softball event has been held at the historic facility as both teams make their final preparations for the 2016 WBSC Women’s World Championship next month in Surrey, Canada.

The WBSC-sanctioned three-game series opened in Tokyo for game one and will shift to Sendai for the remainder of the series. This also marks the first international softball event in Sendai since the Great East Japan Earthquake.

Japan got on the board early in the bottom of the first inning, scoring one run off three straight singles.  Japan continued to add the pressure with two runners in scoring position and only one out, but USA was able to get out of the inning without further damage.

USA tied the game up in the fifth with a sacrifice fly to deep centerfield, scoring one run.

In the bottom of the fifth, Japan put the game out of reach. An RBI single scored the first two runs of the inning, followed by a two-run homer to make the score 5-1.

USA would load the bases again in the top of the sixth inning but was unable to capitalize.

Yamato Fujita (JPN) earned the win for Japan, giving up one run and two walks while issuing two strikeouts. Jessica Moore (USA) suffered the loss, issuing three strikeouts and five runs through four and two-third innings in the circle.

Executives from the Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee and Canadian Women’s National Team were in attendance. Also present were WBSC Softball Division President Dale McMann, Executive Director Ron Radigonda, and WBSC Secretary General Beng Choo Low, who met with Japan Softball Association President Hiromi Tokuda, WBSC Member Taeko Utsugi, and JSA executives to review the preparations for 2018 WBSC Women’s Softball World Championship in Japan.