FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 29, 2018

Women's National Team closes out 2018 season in Takasaki City at Japan Cup

Takasaki City, Japan — Less than three months following the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Women’s World Championship in which Team USA became back-to-back World Champions and qualified for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, the USA Softball Women's National Team will close out their 2018 international season in Takasaki City, Japan at the Japan Cup. Team USA will face three of the Top 5 world-ranked teams in the world in No. 4 Australia, No. 5 Chinese Taipei and No. 2 Japan.

Click here for live stats and a game schedule for the 2018 Japan Cup<https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Softball/Events/2018/November/02/Japan-Cup>

Team USA kicks off the Japan Cup on November 2 with a doubleheader starting with Chinese Taipei at 10 a.m. JST (November 1, 8 p.m. CT) and Australia at 1 p.m. JST (November 1, 11 p.m. CT). The U.S. will close out round robin play against host country Japan on November 3 at 10 a.m. JST (November 2, 8 p.m. CT). On November 4, the teams with the third and fourth best records will play in the Bronze Medal game at 1 p.m. JST (November 3, 11 p.m. CT) while the Gold Medal Game between the No. 1 and No. 2 seed will take place at 4 p.m. JST (2 a.m. CT). Games will be televised through BS Japan with no online live-streaming, but live stats can be accessed for free through USASoftball.com<https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Softball/Events/2018/November/02/Japan-Cup>.

Team USA finished in second place at the 2017 Japan Cup. In their most recent competition against opponents at the World Championship, the Red, White and Blue defeated Chinese Taipei, 7-0, and claimed a 3-1 victory over Australia. The WNT faced Japan twice, claiming a 4-3 victory before defending their World Championship title against their rival with a 7-6 win in the Gold Medal game.

Fans at home can follow along with live stats, recaps and more at USASoftball.com.<http://www.teamusa.org/USA-Softball/Events/2017/August/25/Japan-Cup>

About USA Softball
USA Softball is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization headquartered in Oklahoma City, Okla., and is designated as the National Governing Body (NGB) of Softball in the United States and a member of the United States Olympic Committee. One of the nation’s largest sports organizations, USA Softball sanctions competition through a network of Local Associations, which includes all 50 states and select metro associations, and has grown from a few hundred teams in the early days to over 150,000 teams today, representing a membership of more than 2 million. USA Softball is dedicated to providing people of all ages the opportunity to play the game they love at a variety of levels by offering recreational, league, tournament and competitive play for fast pitch, slow pitch and modified pitch. USA Softball annually conducts thousands of tournaments throughout the country including over 100 National Championships. The USA Softball umpire program is among the nation’s largest and are widely known as the best-trained umpires in the game.

As the NGB for the sport of softball, USA Softball is responsible for training, equipping and promoting the USA Softball National Team programs that compete in events such as the Olympics, Pan American Games, World Championships and other international and domestic events. For more information on USA Softball, including its founding and history as the Amateur Softball Association of America (ASA), please visit, www.USASoftball.com<https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Softball>.

About the World Baseball Softball Confederation
Headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland -- the Olympic Capital -- the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) is the world governing body for baseball and softball. WBSC has 202 National Federation and Associate Members in 143 countries and territories across Asia, Africa, Americas, Europe and Oceania, which represent a united baseball/softball sports movement that encompasses over 65 million athletes and attracts approximately 150 million fans to stadiums worldwide annually.

The WBSC governs all international competitions involving official National Teams. The WBSC oversees the Softball World Championships (Men, Women, U-19 Men, and U-19 Women), Premier12, World Baseball Classic, and Baseball World Cups (U-12, U-15, U-18, U-23 and Women's).

For more information, visit: www.wbsc.org<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001wwUWAIEWrQOvYkAUJQce_bfWiIziwXlriIaZj9qMldOyzexE_To2LowU67TU7wF6ct0beQvIHZVqzdF5dsBKPZ_Wmf2uCS24S1ZLwWA_nL0omPMO3RGJFoqj1eHLxFuv-ml73dfDmv9BXLOE3a1IcRGDkSZnNRyb&c=ikpaqLMyCcSUWYfDsdRpLsGMJUFb5g5j37V3_bVKminzY4WfaM2IWg==&ch=tdkqWMSq9b-9Wq2wYN5AJTN0dLGeNNHlLF7bNi0m4LbaUz7RYlKU9A==>.

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Katie Willis I Communications Manager
USA Softball
2801 NE 50th Street
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73111
405-425-3425 (O)
Visit Us Online: USASoftball.com<http://www.teamusa.org/USA-Softball>

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