USA defeated Chinese Taipei, 5-0, behind a shutout performance by Megan Faraimo to clinch their fourth consecutive gold medal at The World Games.
USA defeated Chinese Taipei, 5-0, behind a shutout performance by Megan Faraimo to clinch their fourth consecutive gold medal at The World Games. A three-run homer by Sahvanna Jaquish and a two-run shot from Skylar Wallace powered USA to the championship. With the win, USA captured their fourth consecutive Women’s Softball gold medal at The World Games, following titles in 1981, 1985, and 2022.
“It’s unbelievable. It’s really about the players, they believed in our system, they worked together at a short period of time to train and they just really executed. They were outstanding. So it’s been a blessing. It’s been very fun,” said head coach Patty Gasso.
“The final was fun. It’s a little tough having two games in one day, but I’m so grateful that they were able to get us on the field to play,” said Megan Faraimo. “And I’m just so proud of this team for coming back and fighting some more to get that win.”
For Chinese Taipei, this tournament marks their second silver medal at a major event, after placing runner-up at the 1982 WBSC Women’s Softball World Cup on home soil.
“This medal is very special to me. It means that our previous efforts have not been in vain. And we can stand on thepodium,” said Liu Hsuan, one of the captains of the team. “This medal gives us a good motivation to move forward. And we will continue to work hard to grow in the future. There must be some difficulties in this process, but we will continue to move forward.”
Asked about Chinese Taipei making the final, USA’s infielder Hannah Flippen pointed the grow of the sport across the world. “I mean, everybody’s growing. Every team is getting better every year. There’s no slouches. There’s no weak teams anymore,” she said. “Everybody’s super competitive and it makes the game fun. It makes the game competitive, which is what we want it to be.”
What’s the future for Chinese Taipei? “After this medal, we shift our focus into the Asian Games, and of course we want to qualify for the Olympics. I feel like we can get it. So for me, after this silver medal, we should be more confident to face foreign teams,” finished Liu Hsuan.
For the bronze medal, Japan defeated Canada, 11-1. Canada finished fourth in the competition.
In the semifinals, delayed 90 minutes by rain, Chinese Taipei defeated Canada, 6-4, while USA outlasted Japan, 7-6 in a 10-inning thriller. “That is a game for the record books. Every time we play Japan, it’s always back and forth. It’s always competitive. I think the mentality that Coach Gasso and the staff has implemented is blue collar and like gritty and grind it out. And that was what that game was all about,” said Flippen.
“I think that was probably one of the greatest softball games that I’ve been a part of to see so much fight and competition on the field,” added Faraimo, who watched the game from the dugout. “I think it shows why this is such a great sport, not just in our country or in their country, but globally. We fight hard and for that game to go for so long was really just a testament to both of our teams fight.”
Gold Medal Game: USA 5-0 Chinese Taipei – Play by play and Boxscore
Megan Faraimo pitched a complete-game shutout against Chinese Taipei to lift USA to a 5-0 win and clinch the Gold Medal at The World Games 2025 in Chengdu. The right-handed pitcher allowed three hits and a walk, against 10 strikeouts.
All five runs of the game came via long ball. In the top of the second, Sahvanna Jaquish blasted a three-run homer to take the lead. The score remained unchanged until the top of the seventh, when Skylar Wallace homered with a runner on board to put the final 5-0 in the scoreboard.
For Chinese Taipei, Chen Ching-Yu was charged with the loss in 1.2 innings of work.
Bronze Medal Game: Japan 11-1 Canada Play by play and Boxscore
A 10-run fourth inning, highlighted by a bases-clearing double by Yuuki Kamata, fuelled Japan’s 11-1 victory agains Canada to claim the bronze medal at The World Games 2025.
Yukiko Ueno, Sakura Miwa and Miu Goto combined to complete the game, with Miwa getting the win.
Canada’s only run was a homer by Caitlyn Wong off Miwa in the fifth frame.
Semifinal: Japan vs USA – Play by play and Boxscore
On Field 1, softball superpowers USA and Japan renewed their storied rivalry with a 10-inning thriller. In a very contested game, USA defeated Japan, 7-6, and advanced to the Gold Medal Game. Tiare Jennings hit a two-out walk-off single to give USA a spectacular win. Skylar Wallace and Jennings homered for USA
Rachel Garcia pitched 7.1 innings for USA, giving up five runs on five hits, with 11 strikeouts. Kelly Maxwell had a stellar outing in relief, pitching 2.2 innings of one hit ball, with no runs allowed.
For Japan, Miu Goto was the losing pitcher after 4.2 innings of work, allowing six hits and three runs. She struck out three.
The two nations have met in the final of every Women’s Softball World Cup since 2002 (nine straight), the last two Olympic finals (Beijing 2008 and Tokyo 2020), and the title game at The World Games 2022. Across these championship clashes, USA holds seven wins to Japan’s five.
Semifinal: Chinese Taipei vs Canada – Play by play and Boxscore
On Field 2, Canada faced Chinese Taipei, each seeking a second-ever appearance in the final of a major tournament. Canada last played for gold at the 1978 World Cup in El Salvador, while Chinese Taipei reached the final as hosts in 1982.
Li Szu-Shih droves in three runs to send Chinese Taipei to the Gold Medal Game after a 6-4 victory against Canada in the semifinal. The catcher went 2-for-4 with three RBIs and one run scored. Chinese Taipei returns to the final of a worldwide event after 43 years.
Tu Ya-Ting won the game after pitching 4-1 innings, giving up two runs on five hits with a walk and no strikeouts.
Dawn Bodrug was charged with the loss in Canada, who will play the bronze medal game.
Key News
- Semifinals at World Games 2025 Women’s Softball postponed by rain
- The World Games 2025 Women’s Softball semifinals set: Japan vs USA; Chinese Taipei vs Canada
- Early steps, big dreams: Women’s Softball teams eye LA28 Olympic Games from Chengdu
- Canada, Japan, USA reach semifinals; Netherlands, Chinese Taipei chase final spot
- Netherlands, USA win in Group A; Canada, Japan prevail in Group B
- Chengdu welcomes the best of Women’s Softball ahead of The World Games tournament starting Wednesday
- Key softball numbers at The World Games 2025 in Chengdu
- The World Games 2025: 10 things to know about the softball in Chengdu
- Key softball numbers at The World Games 2025 in Chengdu
- Panda-shaped medals revealed for The World Games 2025 in Chengdu
- Five reasons to follow women’s softball at The World Games 2025 Chengdu
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