Overview

• Defending champion Japan moved to 2–0 at the U18 World Cup in Naha, following an opening win over Italy with a composed victory over South Korea’s starter who touched 157 km/h.
• The U18 tournament features seven-inning games, wooden bats and a 105-pitch cap with mandated rest days to protect young pitchers.
• Mitsubishi Motors Okazaki beat NTT West 3–0 behind Ryosuke Akiyama’s seven scoreless innings, securing the club’s first都市対抗 semifinal berth in 22 years.
• Oji routed JFE East 9–1 as Kamitori homered and rookie Shibazaki went deep again, with Kutani working eight innings; Oji will face Yamaha, which edged SUBARU 5–4.
• Hanshin cut its magic number to 1 after beating Hiroshima, and Osaka Prefectural Police detailed graded bridge restrictions, DJ police posts and multilingual guidance for expected crowds in Minami.