Black Sox win first two games at World Cup
- NZ Sports Wire
- Jul 11
- 2 min read
The New Zealand Black Sox have made it two-from-two at the WBSC Softball World Cup Finals.
The Black Sox followed their opening day 8-3 win over hosts Canada with a 4-1 victory against world No 1 Argentina on Wednesday (Thursday NZ Time) at Prime Minister's Park in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan.
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The Thomas Makea-coached side face Venezuela in their final Group A game on Thursday (8.30am Friday NZT), but a place in the top-four Super Round is not guaranteed.
A win over the world No 5 Venezuelans would secure top spot in the group, while an Argentina win over Canada would also clinch it.
The top-two teams from each group move on to the Super Round, with wins carrying over.
Liam Potts was masterful on the mound against Argentina, striking out 11 batters in a complete game four-hitter.
At the plate, second baseman Tane Mumu went 3-for-3 and scored two runs, while Cole Evans, Rhys Evans and Seth Gibson drove in runs.
After the teams exchanged runs in the second inning, the Black Sox went ahead in the top of the fifth with two runs.
Mumu and Ben Enoka had back-to-back singles to start the inning, with Mumu scoring on an throwing error from a Gibson bunt, while Enoka was thrown out at the plate.
In the next at-bat, Cole Evans drove Gibson in from second with a double to right-centre.
Gibson provided an insurance run in the seventh, doubling down the left field line to score Mumu.
Against the Canadians, designated player Thomas Enoka went 3-for-4, with two RBIs, and left fielder Reilly Makea 2-for-4, with a home run and three RBIs.
Ben Enoka and Cole Evans also drove in runs, while Te Kirika Nicola-Cooper, Hohepa Monk and Dante Makea-Matakatea also had hits.
Pita Rona got the win on the mound, striking out four and allowing five hits and three earned runs in four-plus innings of work. Potts and Ben Watts combined for three shutout innings to close it out.
Back-to-back doubles from Makea and Thomas Enoka put New Zealand on the board in the first, before adding a run in the next three innings for a 5-1 lead.
After the hosts answered with two in the bottom of the fifth, the Black Sox put the game away with three runs in the next half-inning.
Mumu drew a walk, stole second and reached third on a throwing error, before scoring on a fielder’s choice. Makea crushed a first-pitch bomb to deep centre field, also scoring Cole Evans to put the game on ice.
