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China opens softball world championships with win over Guatemala

Xinhua, July 16, 2016 Adjust font size:

Team China got off to a hot start at the 2016 Softball World Championships in Surrey, British Columbia on Friday evening, overwhelming Team Guatemala by a score of seven to nothing.

China outhit the Central American team 11-to-one, kicking off the first round of the 31-team tournament that's taking place over 10 days at Surrey's Softball City located just outside Vancouver in west Canada.

Wang Lam, one of the Chinese side's pitchers, told Xinhua after the game that her Chinese teammates heated up quickly against the overmatched Guatemalans.

"The team knows it faces stiff competition here in Surrey but we plan to work hard with the ultimate goal of taking home the gold medal," Wang said.

China begins the first round of the tournament in a pool with Cuba, Greece and Guatemala.

The top two teams from each of the eight pools will enter a second round of the tournament, followed by the championship playoffs later this month.

Liu Yaming, Team China head coach, said his team wasn't very familiar with the Guatemalans and both teams took the first couple of innings to get a feel for each other, before China's bats heated up and took over the game.

Liu said the teams from the U.S., Japan and Australia are likely the toughest foes in the tournament.

The women's softball world championships are held every two years in different cities around the world. There are more than 500 athletes here in Surrey and 31 teams representing every corner of the world.

China continues the tournament on Saturday in a match against Greece, before facing Cuba on Sunday. Endit