Ren Tomida excels as Japan defeats Australia 2-1 in U-23 Baseball World Cup
3 min read
Over the course of six innings, the left-handed starter Ren Tomida surrendered one run on four hits. In the seventh inning, the hard-throwing right-hander needed 14 pitches to get out of the jam and retire the side. They only needed to score one run, and they did it thanks to a single that drove in two.
Ren Tomida, a left-handed pitcher for Japan, was instrumental in the team’s victory over Australia by a score of 2-1 on Thursday at the Taipei Tianmu Baseball Stadium as part of the second Super Round of the IV WBSC U-23 Baseball World Cup.
Tomida turned in a brilliant performance over the course of six innings
Allowing only one run on four hits and no walks while fanning eight batters with his sweeping breaking ball and other off-speed magic. Right-handed pitcher Ryusei Gonda, a highly regarded collegiate prospect, handled the sixth inning with his heaters sitting in the mid-to-high 90s (over 150 kilometres per hour).
With a single that drove in two runs in the bottom of the third inning, first baseman Kanta Aiba provided all of the necessary run support for his team.
Hiroki Nakagawa, the starting shortstop for Japan, made a great grab on a hard-hit sharp grounder to retire Australia’s leadoff batter, which allowed Tomida to get out to a strong start.
The game’s first two batters were both walked by Australian starter Matthew Beattie, who also gave up a leadoff walk in the second inning. The first hit for Japan did not come until the third inning of the game.
When the game was over, the centre fielder Yuto Nakada had led off with a single, which was the inning that decided the final score. After baserunner Nakagawa was hit by a pitch from Beattie and both runners advanced on a wild pitch, Japan took a 2-0 lead thanks to a single hit by baseman Kanta Aiba with one out.
Right fielder Travis Bazzana and shortstop Jarryd Dale produced back-to-back singles, which led to Australia’s lone run in the top of the sixth inning. Bazzana went to third and scored on a difficult comebacker to the mound that Tomida struggled to handle.
Tomida gave Ryusei Gonda the ball after he had thrown 93 pitches, but then he walked away. The right-handed pitcher completed the seventh inning by retiring both batters in order while throwing 14 pitches, 10 of which were strikes.
Japan, the top-ranked team in the world, moved to 3-0 in the Super Round. In the second game, which will take place on Friday, October 21, they will play against No. 3 Korea.
In the first game of Day 2 of the Super Round, No. 10 Australia, who currently holds a record of 0-3, will take on No. 11 Colombia.
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