Strong pitching, stellar defence propel Japan to 4-0 win over Guatemala
A 10-strikeout game by Hiroki Ikeda and a stellar defence powered Japan to a 4-0 victory against Guatemala in the second game of the day. With this result, Japan remain in the race for the second place in the Opening Round standings.
In the bottom of the second inning Japan jumped ahed in the board. Koki Sato walked, then stole second base and scored on a clutch two-out single by Ryuji Okawa, giving Japan a 1-0 lead.
In the top of the fourth Guatemala put two runners in scoring position with no outs, with back to back singles by Luis Pedro Villeda and Fabian Vizcaino. However, Ikeda escaped unscathed by striking out the side.
In the top of the fifth, Kaito Masaki belted a solo homer by sending a 64 mph pitch off Jorge Segura over the left field fence, extending Japan's lead to 2-0.
The last two runs of the game were scored in the bottom of the sixth, on a grounder and a bases loaded walk.
Ikeda pitched a complete-game shutout, striking out 10 while giving up four hits and one walk. He was the winner of the game. For Guatemala, the loss was charged to Jorge Segura, who tossed four innings allowing two runs on three hits, with seven strikeouts.
Guatemala finished the Opening Round with a 3-2 record and will know their final position after the game between Japan and Colombia which will decide the final positions of the Opening Round.