IRVINE, Calif. – The USA Softball of Southern California (SoCal) U-18 Women’s All-Star team kicked off the second half of the Tokyo Exchange Series with an impressive showing at Colonel Bill Barber Marine Corps Memorial Park on Oct. 3-4, 2025. The squad posted two shutout victories and battled through a narrow one-run loss to Metro Tokyo to close out the weekend.
Selected from the 2025 High Performance Program (HPP) Region 10 Identifiers in Irvine, Calif., the 14-player roster took on Metro Tokyo in the second half of an exchange series designed to strengthen the connection between the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and the upcoming LA28 Games. Last year, the SoCal U-18 All-Star Team traveled to Tokyo to participate in a series of matches against Team Tokyo.
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Game 1: USAS SoCal U-18 All-Stars 8, Japan – Metro Tokyo 0
The USAS SoCal U-18 All-Stars opened the series in dominant fashion with an 8-0 shutout victory on Friday, Oct. 3. The pitching duo of Bella Gonzales and Abby Ford combined to blank Metro Tokyo, holding the offense in check from start to finish.
At the plate, the squad tallied 12 hits to fuel the offensive outburst. Riley Hilliard led the charge with three RBIs and a triple, while Kale’a Tindal added a pair of doubles and Malaya Finch recorded two hits, including a double and a sacrifice fly. Koa Puppe, Ari Hernandez, and Jordan Castrellon each chipped in RBIs to round out the scoring effort.
Defensively, the SoCal All-Stars were spotless, committing no errors and setting the tone for the weekend with a strong all-around performance.
Game 2: USAS SoCal U-18 All-Stars 4, Japan – Metro Tokyo 0
The momentum carried into Saturday morning as the SoCal All-Stars tallied its second straight shutout with a 4-0 win. Finch and Ford dominated in the circle, combining for 14 strikeouts while allowing only three hits.
Offensively, Hilliard sparked the lineup early with an RBI double in the first inning, while Puppe delivered a two-RBI performance to extend the lead. Tindal, Puppe, and Hilliard each collected two hits in the team’s 10-hit outing. The defense once again held strong, backing up the pitching staff with error-free play across the board.
Game 3: Japan – Metro Tokyo 3, USAS SoCal U-18 All-Stars 2
In the series finale, the SoCal All-Stars battled in a tight contest before falling just short, 2-3. Tindal continued her strong weekend with a two-RBI single in the second inning to give the SoCal All-Stars an early lead. Despite the lead, Metro Tokyo managed to rally late with a two-run single in the sixth to edge ahead.
Gonzales remained steady in the circle, tossing 5.1 innings while allowing just one unearned run and striking out four.
Tindal led the offense with two RBIs, while Reese Hilliard, Riley Hilliard, and Castrellon each added a hit in the effort.
Throughout the weekend, the USA Softball of SoCal All-Stars demonstrated exceptional balance on both sides of the ball — combining timely hitting, dominant pitching, and clean defense to highlight the strength and depth of USA Softball’s High Performance Program.
To learn more about the USA Softball High Performance Program, visit USASoftball.com.