Welcome to this daily summary of the WBSC U-18 Women's Softball World Cup, giving you the latest news and key updates on the first women's softball World Cup in more than two years.

 

LIMA, Peru -- The USA Softball U-18 National Team defeated Chinese Taipei, 1-0, in the Final of the WBSC U-18 Women’s Softball World Cup at Villa Maria del Triunfo Complex on Sunday.

 

USA’s Valerie Cagle pitched a 13-strikeout, seven-inning shutout and hit a World-Cup-winning RBI double in the bottom of the seventh, giving USA their fourth junior women’s softball world title in a row.

 

Cagle and Chinese Taipei starter Hsia-Ai Ke kept the game scoreless for 6.1 innings. In the bottom of the seventh, USA’s Olivia Johnson singled to right field and Violet Zavodnik followed with a walk, setting up Cagle’s walk-off heroics. Cagle was named the tournament MVP. The silver medal is Chinese Taipei’s highest finish in the youth category.

 

In the Bronze Medal Game, left-handed pitcher Brianna Roberts shined for Puerto Rico, shutting out Mexico, 4-0. Puerto Rico’s Esperanza Coe had three of her team’s four runs.

 

It’s Puerto Rico’s third bronze medal in the history of the junior women’s softball world championship. The Puerto Rican squad won back-to-back medals in 2015 and 2017. For Mexico, the fourth-place finish is the nation’s best-ever result in the category.

 

All-World Team

 

At the closing ceremony in Lima, the WBSC U-18 Women's All-World Softball Team was revealed, highlighted by MVP Cagle.