World No. 3 Japan 
beats No. 1 New Zealand 
#WBSCMensSoftball #WorldChampionship 
Prague, CZ - - Black Sox suffer costly loss to Japan at world softball championships
Hikaru Matsuda rounds third base to score - urged on by his coach - to score an in-the-park home run to set up Japan's 5-1 win over the Black Sox.
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ORIGINAL STORY by Tony Smith at Stuff
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The Black Sox have slumped to a second defeat at the world softball championships after a 5-1 loss to group leaders Japan.
Back-to-back in-the-park home runs in the first inning gave Japan a vital edge in the Czech Republic on Tuesday (Wednesday NZ time).
The result means Japan will almost certainly top the group, leaving the Black Sox - still to meet a strong Argentina team - likely to face a tough team such as Venezuela or Australia in the quarterfinals.
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WBSCÂWorld No. 3 Japan
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Mark Sorenson's Black Sox - bidding for a record eighth world title - now have three wins and two losses following a 5-4 defeat to Mexico in game two.
Out-batted by their opponents for the third time in five games, they have slipped to third-equal in the group - behind Japan and Argentina.
Japan beat the Black Sox for the fourth time in 2019 after another poised pitching performance by Reo Koyama at the Hippos Arena in HavlÃÄkův Brod.
The 21-year-old gave up five walks by being prepared to pitch around the Black Sox sluggers, but he also snared seven timely strikeouts and held a powerful batting lineup to five scattered safe hits.
Koyama was backed by some flawless defence with Takuto Tsutsui outstanding at the hot corner on third base.
Japan also claimed eight hits off New Zealand's most experienced pitcher Nik Hayes.
They did the damage from the first inning, jumping out to a 2-0 lead after consecutive in-the-park homers by Hikaru Matsuda and Tsukasa Oishi.
The Black Sox had taken Matsuda out at first base on a ground ball, but the Japan designated hitter was recalled to the batter's box because base runner Ryoyu Une had been given out for leaving first base before the ball was pitched.
Matsuda made the most of his reprieve. He drove a Hayes pitch into the rightfield corner. As Reilly Makea scampered for the ball, Matsuda hurtled around the base and scored in a slide at home plate, where Kiwi catcher Zane van Lieshout was injured.
Oishi followed with a carbon copy shot into the rightfield corner to score standing up on Makea's throw to the plate.
Yusuke Morita followed with a double for the third consecutive hit off Hayes, but the Kiwi pitcher recovered with an inning-ending strikeout.
Japan jumped out to 3-0 in the second inning after Hiroto Ikeda led off with a leftfield single and eventually scored on a wild pitch.
New Zealand's vaunted batting lineup did not produce a hit until No 7 batter Makea kick-started the fifth inning with a leaguer to left-centrefield.
Substitute catcher Kallan Compain pulled a solid single to leftfield and Ben Enoka picked a walk to load the bases.
Skipper Nathan Nukunuku singled to score Makea, but Japan averted further damage with a slick double play by third baseman Tsutsui.
Japan gave itself another two-run buffer in the bottom of the fifth.
Tsutsui made base on a hit-pitch after the umpires ruled the ball had brushed his shirt, despite protestations to the contrary by the Kiwi camp.
Kotaro Yasumi singled up the middle and Matsuda scored Tsutsui with a sacrifice fly for his second RBI (run batted in)
Oishi, the other home run hitter from the first inning, drove in Une to make it 5-1.
New Zealand had a glimmer of hope for a game-saving big inning when Wayne Laulu singled to start the top of the seventh, but Japan's defence and Koyama's control, remained resolute.
Hayes had eight strike outs and did not deliver a walk but he gave up eight hits and five earned runs.
No New Zealander got more than one hit off Koyama, but leadoff Ben Enoka, who had an infield single, made base on all four occasions.
Meanwhile, Argentina moved into second place with a four-win one-loss record after pipping Cuba 3-2 after out-batting them 13 hits to six.
Canada, the 2015 world champions, are the only unbeaten team in Group B after edging second-placed Venezuela 2-1 after a two-run home run from veteran Jason Hill.
AT A GLANCE
Japan 5 New Zealand Black Sox 1.
Hits: Japan 8 (Ryoyu Une 2, Tsukasa Oishi 2, Hikaru Matsuda, Kotaro Yasumi, Yusuke Morita, Hiroti Ikeda) New Zealand 5 (Reilly Makea, Kallan Compain, Nathan Nukunuku, Wayne Laulu).
Other results
Group A
 Argentina 3 Cuba 2, Mexico 5 Botswana 0.
Standings: Japan (5 wins-0 losses), Argentina (4-1), New Zealand, Cuba (3-2), Mexico (2-3), Czech Republic (1-3), Botswana (1-4), Philippines (0-4).
Group B
Canada 2 Venezuela 1, Australia 11 South Africa 0, USA 7 Singapore 0 (5 innings).
Standings: Canada (5 wins-0 losses), Australia, Venezuela (4-1), USA (3-2), Denmark, Netherlands (1-3), Singapore (1-4), South Africa (0-5).
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