Australia take five-game women's softball international series against China in Brisbane
A walk-off single by Olympian Taylah Tsitsikronis in the bottom of the seventh served as the series clincher for world No. 10 Australia, giving her team a 1-0 win against No. 12 China in Game Five as well as a 3-2 win in the overall series for the green and gold. The series was contested in Brisbane, Australia, home of the Olympic Games in 2032.
The series was a highly-competitive matchup, with all five games being decided by a margin of three runs or fewer.
Australia grabbed Games One and Three, with 4-3 and 4-1 results; while China managed to tie the series twice, with a 5-3 victory in Game Two and a 2-0 shutout in Game Four. However, after six scoreless innings in Game Five, Tsitsikronis' RBI single to centre field decided the series for Australia.
In 2025, China will host The World Games Chengdu 2025, and is also getting ready for the Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026. In addition, both teams are beginning their journey to the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, where softball will feature for the sixth time. Both teams hold Olympic medals, with China winning silver in Atlanta 1996 while Australia grabbed silver in Athens 2004 and bronze in Atlanta 1996, Sydney 2000 and Beijing 2008.
During the series in Brisbane, both nations fielded their U-18 national teams for a six-game series with China sweeping Australia. China will be playing the WBSC U-18 Women's Softball World Cup Finals 2025 this year, after earning their ticket out of Group B. Australia missed the chance to participate in the Finals after finished in fourth place in Group C.