The following information courtesy of WBSC & USA Softball

Japan Blanks Puerto Rico 4-0 Behind Haru Kitamura One-Hitter

World No. 2 Japan defeated No. 3 Puerto Rico, 4-0, to win theWBSC U-15 Women’s Softball World Cup 2025.

Starting pitcher Haru Kitamura retired the first 18 batters she faced, taking a perfect game into the seventh inning. She then allowed a walk and a single, before ending the game with her 12th strikeout.

“Everything worked perfectly for six innings. In the seventh, I felt a little overexcited. I believe I overthrew a bit and started worrying,” Kitamura said through an interpreter.

“There was a lot of emotion. But I could focus on the next pitch I had to throw, and I could get that final out.”

“I’ve worked hard to get here,” she added. “Now I can celebrate with my teammates this world title. I believe this is just the beginning for all of us. We want to repeat at the U-18 level, and hopefully we will be up for more in the future.”

Head coach Yu Yamamoto commented on her playing style.

“If you look at the players, our girls have a smaller size. They showed they can still win. What you call ‘small ball’ is the style of play that I believe is more effective.”

Kitamura was the difference in the title game both sides agreed.

“We couldn’t adjust to their starting pitcher,” commented Puerto Rico’s head coach Carlos Leon.

“She used her away pitches very well, and we couldn’t adjust. Japan is a team that can put the ball in play, put pressure on the opposition, and force errors. That’s what happened tonight.”

He added,

“We celebrated a historic win against the United States and are heading home with a silver medal. I thank God for this.”

🎉🏆🇯🇵 Haru Kitamura strikes out her 12th batter of the game for the final out to give Japan the World Title

WBSC U-15 Women's Softball World Cup 2025#SoftballWorldCupWU15 pic.twitter.com/QEkQAcMCiG

— WBSC ⚾🥎 (@WBSC) July 5, 2025

Puerto Rico’s starter Isabella Ortiz walked Ichigo Suzuki with two outs in the bottom of the first to allow the first runner of the game.

Ortiz walked Rara Minato to lead off the bottom of the second, and Japan used the short ball to take the lead. Rio Masuda dropped a bunt for a hit, pushing Minato to second. Juna Higashiyama sacrificed to advance the runners to third and second.

Yui Yamamoto also bunted, and Minato scored the go-ahead run. Masuda reached third on the play and scored on an illegal pitch. Yamamoto reached third on the play and scored on a groundout.

Makayla Megnauth took over for Ortiz in the bottom of the third. Japan loaded the bases on a pair of singles and an error, but Megnauth got out of the jam with a strikeout.

Japan added a run in the bottom of the fourth. Mioka Mochizuki hit a two-out double and scored on Yuzu Saito’s RBI single.

In the bottom of the sixth, Puerto Rico handed the ball to Maya Melendez.

Haru Kitamura was perfect for 6.1 innings before giving up a walk and single before a final strikeout gave Japan the win.

💪🇯🇵 15 Up, 15 Down. Japan's starting pitcher Haru Kitamura strikes out the side in the fifth to keep Puerto Rico off base.

WBSC U-15 Women's Softball World Cup 2025#SoftballWorldCupWU15 pic.twitter.com/GgUCjjOCL3

— WBSC ⚾🥎 (@WBSC) July 5, 2025

Kitamura took a perfect game into the top of the seventh. She then walked pinch hitter Kamila Santiago. Yazmine Johnson singled and brought Santiago to second.

Kitamura used five pitches to strike out Skilah Rodriguez and end the game, sealing Japan’s victory.

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USA Captures Bronze Medal in 4-0 Shutout of Mexico

The U.S. U-15 Women’s National Team (WNT) bounced back in dominant fashion on Saturday at the 2025 World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) U-15 Women’s Softball World Cup, securing the Bronze medal in a 4-0 shutout victory over Mexico.

The Eagles close out the tournament with a 7-2 record and earn their second medal in U-15 World Cup history after earning Gold in the 2023 edition.  

The win was powered by a strong performance on both sides of the ball, highlighted by a three-run home run from McKenzie Thomas (4 RBI) and a no-hitter in the circle from Maci Barnes.

Scoreless through the first three innings, Thomas broke the bats open in the bottom of the fourth with a three-run blast to left field before tacking on a fourth RBI via a bases-loaded walk in the sixth.

Khloe Williams (2-for-3) added support at the plate with a single and a double, helping the U.S. offense stay steady through seven innings and tabbing the only multi-hit performance of the day. 

Barnes was electric in the circle — striking out 10 and tossing a complete-game no-hitter to shut down the Mexico offense. Behind her, the Eagles’ defense remained sharp, playing error-free softball in leading the U.S. to victory in Italy.  

The U.S. offense put up strong numbers throughout the tournament, accumulating a .386 team batting average and a combined 78 hits while outscoring its opponents 74-8.

Leading the U.S. at the plate was Khloe Williams with a .526 batting average, followed by Michaela Landers (.458) and Ashleigh Bronowicz (.455).

The U.S. pitching staff of Barnes, Leona Eichholz, Braelyn Johnson and Lucy Reis proved to be dominant throughout the tournament with six shutout wins and a combined 49 strikeouts, while allowing 23 hits through nine games. 

Click HERE to view all box scores, roster info & more »  

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Final Team USA Results

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All-World Team

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The Final 2025 U-15 Women’s Softball World Cup Bracket