The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

THE top ranked Japan team stomped the Bahamas 17-0 as the round robin segment of the XII Women's Softball World Championship was completed yesterday in Clearwater, Florida.

While Japan emerged on top of the Section B standings with a perfect 6-0 win-loss record, the Bahamas dropped to 1-5 after losing four straight games since winning their opening match against Israel 10-0.

Ito Kiyomi fired a one-hitter with two strike outs in the 12 batters she faced in the abbreviated four inning affair. The only Bahamian batter to get a hit was second sacker Eilyah Johnson, who batted third in the line-up.

The Bahamian team, managed by Stephen 'Bishop' Beneby and coached by Shane Albury and D'Kyle Rolle, made a couple of costly errors in the top of the first inning that the Japanese capitalised on by scoring nine runs to put the game out of reach. After getting shut out in the second, they added five more in the third and three more insurance runs in the fourth to secure the win.

Antonia Cooper went the distance for the loss. She gave up 14 hits and 13 earned runs, walked three batters and struck out two of the 27 batters she faced.

All but four batters in Japan's line-up got at least one hit. Leftfielder Miyu Miyamoto led their offensive charge by going 3-for-4 with a double and home run, driving in four runs and scoring three times.

The Bahamas will now play Korea in the qualifying rounds of the playoffs today. If the team wins, they will play Guatemala at 5 pm.