​Australia opened the World Baseball Classic on Thursday by beating Chinese Taipei 3-0 on Robbie Perkins' two-run homer in the fifth inning and Travis Bazzana's homer in the seventh at the Tokyo Dome. The two big swings were enough in a tight game dominated by pitching on both sides. Chinese Taipei managed only three hits, and Australia had seven. It was a critical victory for Australia, which also won its first game in 2023, defeating South Korea enroute to reaching the quarterfinals and a narrow 4-3 loss to Cuba. Australian starter Alex Wells pitched three no-hit innings with Jack O'Loughlin negotiating the next three and allowing only two hits and setting the stage for the bullpen. O'Laughlin got the victory with a save for Jon Kennedy. Po-Yu Chen was the losing pitcher. Following Perkins' homer, Chinese Taipei put two runners on in the sixth with two out but failed to score. The second to reach base was Chieh-hsien Chen who was hit by a pitch on the his right hand and left the game. Australia loaded the bases in the bottom of the sixth and failed to score when Chris Burke popped out on the second pitch from reliever Yi Chang. Bazzana, who is expected to start in Triple A this season in the Cleveland Guardians farm system, added the insurance run on a towering shot to right field. Bazzana was the first pick in the 2024 MLB amateur draft. Chinese Taipei put two runners on the top of the ninth and almost tied the game on a deep flyout by Lyle Lin. South Korea—Czechia later In the second Group C game later in Tokyo, South Korea faced the Czech Republic. Defending champion Japan opens play in Group C on Friday against Taiwan. The top two teams in the group advance to the quarterfinals in the United States, joining the top two in the other three groups. Read More

​Ally Sentnor scored in the 55th minute and the United States beat Canada 1-0 on Wednesday in the SheBelieves Cup tournament, the Americans' seventh straight shutout. Sentnor scored her seventh international goal off a corner from Rose Lavelle, gathering the ball on a bounce before punching it past two defenders and Canada goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan. The U.S. hasn't allowed a goal since a 3-1 win over Portugal last October, a stretch of 714 minutes. "Honestly, our goal was just to win the game," Sentnor said. "I think going into a rivalry game, we knew what was going to happen. It was going to be on the line and Canada gave us an incredible performance, and we really had to work for this win." The United States sat atop the SheBelieves table with two wins, ahead of Canada and Colombia with one each. The Colombians defeated Argentina 1-0 in the early match Wednesday at ScottsMiracle-Gro Stadium. The United States is 55-4-9 against Canada since their first meeting in 1986. The U.S. won the last meeting 3-0 in July. The Canadians' last win in the series came at the Tokyo Olympics. Jessie Fleming converted a penalty in a 1-0 semifinal victory. Canada went on to win the gold medal. U.S. coach Emma Hayes included Trinity Rodman in the starting lineup despite Rodman taking a hit in the back late in Sunday's 2-0 SheBelieves victory over Argentina in Nashville. Rodman struggled with a nagging back injury last year. Canada, which defeated Colombia 4-1 in the tournament opener, was without captain Fleming because of an illness. The game was scoreless after the first half despite the United States dominating possession by nearly 70%. Sentnor, who plays professionally for the Kansas City Current, broke the stalemate with her third goal of the year. The 22-year-old was named U.S. Soccer's young player of the year in 2024. Canada coach Casey Stoney felt her team showed "huge progress" from the last time the Canadians faced the United States, but was disappointed about conceding on a set piece. "I think we were competitive throughout the game. I think we kept our distances better, we had good discipline," Stoney said. "I think we had moments in their box where we can have a little bit more composure." Colombia will play the United States on Saturday in the tournament finale in Harrison, New Jersey. Canada plays Argentina in the early game. It is the 11th annual SheBelieves Cup hosted by the United States. Canada was making its fourth appearance in the tournament. Read More