Photo: WBSC
The New Zealand Black Sox have secured a spot among the world's top four after a strong start to their campaign at the WBSC Men's Softball World Cup.
After back-to-back wins over host nation Canada and world number one Argentina, the side fell 7-2 to Venezuela in their final pool game. But the early momentum was enough to send them through to the next stage of the tournament.
How the tournament works
The 2025 Men's Softball World Cup features eight teams, split into two groups.
Group A: New Zealand, Argentina, Canada and Venezuela
Group B: Australia, Japan, USA and the Dominican Republic
Following the opening round, the top two teams from each group advance to the Super Round, where they play crossover matches to determine who goes through to the medal games.
The top two finishers in the Super Round will face off for the world title, while third and fourth will compete for bronze.
Tight race in Group A
The Black Sox's group proved particularly tight, with all four teams picking up one win and one loss in the early stages.
Each side beat a different opponent, making for a closely contested race to the top two spots
WBSC rules state if teams are tied on points, placement is determined first by head-to-head results, and then by Team Quality Balance (TQB) - a formula that considers the number of runs scored and allowed per inning.
Final Group A standings:
Venezuela (2 wins, 1 loss)
New Zealand (2 wins, 1 loss)
Argentina (1 win, 2 losses)
Canada (1 win, 2 losses)
New Zealand earned second place in the group behind Venezuela, having beaten both Argentina and Canada in their earlier matches. Despite the loss to Venezuela, those earlier victories secured their place in the Super Round.
Photo: WBSC
Solid performances across the board
The Black Sox opened with a strong win over host team Canada, followed by a statement victory against Argentina.
Their loss to Venezuela came despite a power-packed effort from designated player Thomas Enoka, who got the side on the board with a home run in the fourth inning. Team captain Cole Evans added a second bomb in the sixth.
Pita Rona, son of Black Sox legend Brad Rona, opened on the mound, followed by Canterbury pitcher Ben Watts before twenty-one-year-old Liam Potts closed out the game with a clean seventh inning.
Despite those efforts, Venezuela capitalised on fielding errors and strong hitting to hand the New Zealand side its first defeat of the competition.
Photo: WBSC
"One of our goals has been achieved"
Head coach Thomas Makea said post-match the bounce of the ball simply didn't go their way against Venezuela.
"Pimentel [Venezuela's starting pitcher] was tough on the mound. He got ahead early, and we just couldn't chase him down in the end," he said.
However, despite this, the boys have reached their target of making top four, bringing them closer to their goal of hitting the podium.
"We've made it through as one of the top two in our pool. Big congratulations to the boys - this was one of our goals at the start of the tour, and we've achieved it."
Makea said they will celebrate this moment.
"The boys deserve it, and we'll do that in our own way."
Photo: WBSC
Captain Cole Evans said it wasn't the result they wanted to end their group play - especially after strong early performances - but "that's softball."
"It's tournament ball, and every team here is quality...We gave ourselves some chances, but a few errors let the game get away on us a bit."
He said he was proud of the boys for reaching the Super Round.
"That was our main goal, to make the weekend. We've done that, and now we can really have a crack. There'll be some quality sides coming through, but we'll prepare well and come out ready."
Eyes still on the podium
The Super Round kicks off Saturday (NZT), with the top two teams moving on to the gold medal game. The third and fourth-placed sides will play for bronze.
Meeting the boys in the Super Round from group B will be Japan and USA.
In a crucial match to keep their title hopes alive, the Black Sox will face last World Cup Bronze medalists, USA, Saturday at 8.30am NZT.
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