China remains unbeaten after comeback win over Philippines at women's softball Asia Cup

XI'AN, China, July 17 (Xinhua) -- Captain Xi Kailin delivered a walk-off single to cap China's hard-fought 2-1 comeback victory over the Philippines in the women's softball Asia Cup preliminaries here on Thursday.

The win, which followed a 2-0 shutout of South Korea earlier in the day, marked the host's seventh consecutive triumph and kept its perfect record intact heading into a high-stakes clash with world No. 1 Japan on Friday.

"The win is a huge boost to our morale and will make us even more determined going into the next games," said third baseman Yan Siyu after the match.

Through six innings, both teams registered five hits apiece but failed to break the deadlock. The Philippines finally took the lead in the top of the seventh with back-to-back hits by Roma Jane Cruz and Alaiza Talisik. China responded by replacing starting pitcher Chai Yinan with Wei Yuchen, who closed the inning without allowing further damage, preserving the tension heading into the bottom frame.

China's rally began with Li Xintian reaching first base on a single and advancing to second on a sacrifice bunt by He Xiaoyan. With two outs and a 3-1 count, Yan stepped up and delivered a clutch hit to bring Li home, leveling the score at 1-1.

Pinch runner Zeng Zhilin replaced Yan at first and advanced on a single by Xie Yue, setting the stage for Xi. The team captain came through, lining a single to second base as Zeng raced home to seal the dramatic win in front of an electrified home crowd.

"It shows that every player on our team is important," Yan said of the thrilling finish. "We have to strike when the opponent least expects it."

While acknowledging that the team felt "a little anxious" during the scoreless early innings, Yan emphasized their "unwavering belief" as the foundation of the comeback. "Whether in a tight game or behind, we always stayed confident that we could win," added the 30-year-old veteran, who also hit a solo home run in China's win over South Korea earlier in the day.

Elsewhere on Thursday, Japan, the tournament's only other unbeaten team, cruised to dominant wins over Thailand 16-0 and South Korea 12-2. Chinese Taipei also impressed, shutting out India 10-0 and overpowering Malaysia 15-0.

India endured its second loss of the day with a 7-0 defeat to Hong Kong, China, while the Philippines routed Singapore 13-0 before falling to China.

Ten teams are competing in a single round-robin preliminaries with the top two teams advancing to the final. With two days of competition remaining, China and Japan sit atop the standings with perfect 7-0 records, followed by Chinese Taipei and the Philippines. Enditem