8 Mar 2013

Sport: Samoa qualify for playoffs at World Softball Champs

11:29 am on 8 March 2013

Samoa produced their most clinical performance of the tournament, thumping South Africa 8-0, to qualify for the playoffs at the World Softball Championships.

Needing to win their final group match off the back of three straight defeats, the Tanifa shut out their opponents to finish third in Pool A, and set a quarter-final against a Japanese team on a four-match winning streak.

Samoa coach Chris Kohlhase believes his team still have a big upset in them and plan on giving Japan a run for their money.

"The close game against Australia the other night has given the boys a little bit of self belief and they know they're capable of footing it with the best on any given day. That's still in the back of our minds and we will take that into the Japan game. At this stage of the end of the tournament it's just do or die stuff so we're playing every game as if it's our final. We will be certainly throwing everything at the Japanese who will be very very tough."

In Friday's other playoff games, Argentina meet the USA, Canada take on Venezuela and hosts New Zealand are pitted against defending champions Australia.