The USA Softball of Southern California (SoCal) U-18 Women’s All-Star team delivered a strong performance during the second half of the Tokyo Exchange Series, held at Colonel Bill Barber Marine Corps Memorial Park on October 3–4, 2025. The team recorded two shutout wins and narrowly fell 3–2 to Metro Tokyo in the series finale.
Team Selection and Purpose of the Series
The 14-player roster was selected from the 2025 High Performance Program (HPP) Region 10 Identifiers in Irvine, California. The exchange series is designed to strengthen ties between the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and the upcoming LA28 Games. Last year, the SoCal U-18 All-Star team traveled to Tokyo to compete in a series of games against Team Tokyo.
Game 1: SoCal U-18 All-Stars 8, Metro Tokyo 0
The series opened with a dominant 8–0 shutout victory. Pitchers Bella Gonzales and Abby Ford combined to keep Metro Tokyo off the scoreboard. Offensively, the team tallied 12 hits, led by Riley Hilliard with three RBIs and a triple. Kale’a Tindal contributed two doubles, and Malaya Finch added a double and a sacrifice fly. Koa Puppe, Ari Hernandez, and Jordan Castrellon each drove in runs to complete the scoring. Defensively, the team played flawlessly with no errors.
Game 2: SoCal U-18 All-Stars 4, Metro Tokyo 0
The momentum continued with a 4–0 win in the second game. Finch and Ford combined for 14 strikeouts while allowing only three hits. Hilliard drove in an early run with a first-inning double, and Puppe added two RBIs to extend the lead. Tindal, Puppe, and Hilliard each recorded two hits in the team’s 10-hit performance. The defense remained strong, supporting the pitchers with error-free play.
Game 3: Metro Tokyo 3, SoCal U-18 All-Stars 2
In the final game, the SoCal All-Stars fell 3–2 in a closely contested matchup. Tindal drove in two RBIs with a single in the second inning, giving the team an early lead. Metro Tokyo rallied with a two-run single in the sixth inning to secure the win. Gonzales pitched 5.1 innings, allowing just one unearned run and striking out four. Tindal led the offense, with Hilliard and Castrellon also contributing hits.
Weekend Summary
Throughout the Tokyo Exchange Series, the SoCal U-18 All-Stars showcased a well-rounded performance, combining timely hitting, dominant pitching, and flawless defense. The weekend highlighted the talent and depth of USA Softball’s High Performance Program.