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USA beats Japan, Chinese Taipei to win Gold at 2025 World Games

Screenshot 2024-07-31 at 7.46.34 PMby: Brady Vernon08/17/25BradyVernon

Maybe Patty Gasso brought her Sooner Magic to the U.S. Women’s National Team. The Eagles outlasted Japan, 7-6 in 10 innings, in the Playoff Round before beating Chinese Taipei to win the Gold Medal at the 2025 World Games in Japan.

USA 7, Japan 6

Tiare Jennings had an earlier chance to end the game before grounding out to leave the bases loaded. She wasn’t about to do it again. Despite falling behind 0-2 Miu Goto, Jennings lined a walk-off single into center field. Jennings had a great tournament overall, including a two-run blast back in the first inning.

Rachel Garcia grinded through her 7.1 innings of work. However, Japan finally got to her in the top of the fourth. Japan turned to Hotaru Tsukamoto with the bases loaded and two outs. Garcia nearly overcame, starting off with a 3-0 count, but ultimately allowed a bases-clearing double.

Japan added another run in the fifth, putting the pressure on the Eagles to score again. Skylar Wallace answered, hitting a no-doubt two-run homer in the bottom of the fifth to tie the game.

Neither team scored again, pushing the game to extras. Japan’s incredible bat control made defending tough for the Americans. Japan scored in the top of the eighth after a sacrifice bunt and a fielder’s choice.

After a sacrifice fly moved the tying run to third, Janae Jefferson poked a ball with two outs to right to keep the USA alive and tie the game. Jayda Coleman earned a walk to load the base for Jennings, but she grounded out on the first pitch she saw.

Japan manufactured another run in the 10th with their bunt and soft groundball combination. That’s when the USA won. Hannah Flippen drove in the tying run on a single to left field. A single by Jessie Warren and another Coleman walk loaded the bases for Jennings again with two outs. This time she delivered and was later named MVP of the Tournament.

USA 5, Chinese Taipei 0

The Gold Medal Game was far less dramatic on the back of a great Megan Faraimo outing. Faraimo allowed three hits and walked one, tossing a complete game shutout with 10 strikeouts.

The longball powered the offense again. Sahvanna Jaquish blasted a three-run homer in the second off of Ching Yu-Chen. Yi-Shan Chu allowed a handful of hits in relief, going 5.1 innings but continued to escape jams until the seventh. Jennings hit a two-out single and Wallace followed with a two-run insurance blast, her third of the tournament and second of the day.

Japan beat Canada 11-1 in the Bronze Medal Game after losing to Canada earlier in the group stages.

More from Softball America:

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