Thomas Enoka had three hits and Reilly Makea added two — including a home run — as New Zealand powered past host Team Canada 8-3 on opening night of the 2025 WBSC Men’s Softball World Cup in Prince Albert.
The win offered some revenge for the Black Sox, who fell 2-1 to Canada in last weekend’s 4 Nations Cup Final in Saskatoon.
New Zealand jumped out early with two runs in the first, then tacked on single runs in the second, third, and fourth innings, chasing Canadian starter Sean Cleary after just two frames. All four Canadian pitchers saw action in the loss.
Canada showed signs of life in the fifth when Brad Ezekiel drove in two with a double to cut the lead to 5-3, but the Kiwis answered right back with three in the sixth to put the game away. Ezekiel, Quinton Bruce, and Mathieu Roy each had two hits for Canada.
Team Canada will try to bounce back Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. against Venezuela, who opened with a 1-0 win over Argentina.
Elsewhere Tuesday, the U.S. stunned Australia 10-0, while the Dominican Republic edged Japan 3-2.
