Blowouts have been the theme of the early stages of the 5th World University Baseball Championship, and the host nation wasn't about to be left out of the fun.
Shota Ishimine and Hayata Ito each drove in three runs, starter Yusuke Nomura struck out six, and Japan exploded for seven runs in the fourth inning en route to a 15-0 victory over China — in a game that was stopped after the sixth inning due to the mercy rule — on Saturday at Jingu Stadium.
"Last night we weren't able to score early in the game," Ishimine said, referring to Friday's 4-0 win over South Korea. "So tonight we really wanted to give Nomura some support early in the game and we're really happy we could do it."