Editor’s Note: Remember that Saturday in China is Friday here, adjust date and time accordingly.
The USA Men finished pool play with a perfect 3-0 record, with wins over Singapore, Canada and Australia. They will face Group A winner, Venezuela in their first playoff game at 12:30pm Saturday, local time. That translates to 12:30am tonight/Friday night for those in EDT, and 9:30pm for those of us on the west coast. (See full schedule below)
Click here for USA vs. Australia Box Score and Play-by-Play at the WBSC website
Scoring Summary – USA 14, Australia 3
The USA Men’s Softball team delivered an explosive performance against Australia at the 2025 World Games, earning a commanding 14-3 victory in a game that was decided in just four innings.
Australia opened the scoring in the top of the first, taking an early 1-0 lead when Callum Beashel was hit by a pitch and later came around to score on Hayden Matthews‘ single up the middle. But the USA wasted no time mounting a response. In their half of the second, a combination of aggressive baserunning and Australian errors led to a four-run inning. Yusef Davis Jr. reached on a throwing error, allowing two American runs to cross the plate, before a booming triple by Zachary Shaw and a clutch single from Blaine Milheim extended the lead to 4-1.
Australia briefly narrowed the gap in the third, as Beashel singled and Matthews launched a two-run homer to center, cutting the USA advantage to 4-3. But what followed was a turning point: the bottom of the third saw the Americans absolutely erupt at the plate.
The USA’s bats came alive with a ten-run inning featuring a barrage of hits, triples, and a home run. Tyler Johnson was unstoppable, collecting a home run, a triple, a single, and multiple RBIs. Frank Kimlinger delivered a crushing three-run triple while Erick Ochoa and Jeffrey Lewis each drove in runs, piling up the damage.
The rest of the game saw the USA’s defense step up. When Australia threatened in the fourth by loading the bases, the Americans turned a double play and ended the inning with a strikeout, thwarting any hopes of an Australian comeback.
With the run-ahead rule in effect, the USA secured a resounding 14-3 win, propelled by an electric offense and strong pitching from Gibbons, who collected the win. Hayden Matthews was a notable standout for Australia, driving in all three of his team’s runs, including a two-run homer.
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