Japan is back in the Gold Medal Game (Sunday at 5pm local time, live on YouTube) at the V IBAF Women’s Baseball World Cup in Edmonton, Canada. They defeated Australia 5-1 in the first semi-final at Telus Field on Saturday afternoon. The Aussies struck first, but Japan’s offense answered right away to storm away with the victory. The team from Down Under will play in the Bronze Medal Game at 1pm on Sunday.

Australia is joining Canada, USA and Japan in the semi-finals of the V IBAF Women’s Baseball World Cup. The team from Down Under shut out Chinese Taipei 11-0 on Friday morning to clinch fourth place in the first round of the tournament. The Asian squad has to settle for the consolation round. The opponent for Australia will be determined later on Friday.

Recent IBAF 18U Baseball World Championship roster addition, New South Wales (NSW) outfielder Karl Hoschke, has signed with the MLB franchise Atlanta Braves.

Japan has won its fifth game at the V IBAF Women’s Baseball World Cup in Edmonton, Canada on Thursday. The defending title holder defeated Australia 10-0 in six innings to improve to 5-1 in the tournament. They scored eight runs in the first two frames, providing a comfortable cushion early. Australia dropped to 3-3, battling for the fourth spot in the semi-finals.

Australia keeps its chances alive to reach the semi-finals at the V IBAF Women’s Baseball World Cup. On Wednesday they celebrated a lopsided 20-1 victory over Venezuela in a make-up game of Tuesday’s rainout at Telus Field. After both teams exchanged runs in the first, Australia blew things open with seven runs in the second.

Australia’s Women’s Baseball National Team barely avoided an upset against the Netherlands, winning 13-11 in a thrilling slugfest at Telus Field in Edmonton, Canada on Monday afternoon. The team from Down Under came back from a 2-6 deficit, but nearly blew a 13-6 lead in the seventh en route to the victory. They are now 2-2 in the V IBAF Women’s Baseball World Cup and keep their chances intact to reach the semi-finals. The Netherlands dropped to 0-4, but showed an impressive offensive performance.

Canada remains undefeated at the V IBAF Women’s Baseball World Cup in Edmonton, Canada. On Sunday afternoon at Telus Field, the Maple Leafs scored two runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to edge out Australia 5-4. It was their third win in the third game at the tournament, remaining undefeated before their clash with Team USA on Monday evening. Australia dropped to 1-2.

Team USA captured their second win in the V IBAF Women’s Baseball World Cup at Telus Field in Edmonton, Canada on Saturday. They edged out Australia in a thrilling affair, winning by a score of 11-8. The US squad came back from an early 2-7 deficit, plating five crucial runs in the last two frames of the game. Australia dropped to 1-1 in the tournament.

A six-run rally in the fifth inning helped Australia to a 12-4 win over Cuba in the afternoon game at the V IBAF Women’s Baseball World Cup at Telus Field in Edmonton, Canada. The team from Down Under overcame 0-3 and 3-4 deficits to beat the Caribbean squad. Christina Kreppold (4-5, 4 RBI) led Australia on offense. Kim McMillan dominated in a four-inning relief appearance.

The team will compete at the 2012 IBAF 18U Baseball World Championships in Seoul, South Korea, from 30 August to 8 September.