South Africa has enjoyed an impressive opening two days at the 2026 WBSC Africa Southern Africa Regional Youth Baseball5 Championships, recording six consecutive victories to remain unbeaten heading into Saturday’s semi-finals.
Guided by Americo Juma and Hayley Scott-Maree, the South African youth team has delivered a series of strong performances against regional opponents Botswana, Zambia and Lesotho.
The championship got underway on Thursday, 8 October, with teams competing in the fast-paced mixed-gender Baseball5 format.
South Africa opened their campaign with a convincing 2–0 victory over Botswana, winning the opening set 10–0 before taking the second set 9–4.
Their next encounter against Zambia proved more challenging. South Africa secured the first set 13–7, but Zambia fought back to win the second set 3–1. With the match level, South Africa responded strongly to take the deciding set 10–7 and secure a 2–1 victory.
South Africa completed the opening day’s programme with another victory over Botswana, winning 2–0 after taking the sets 10–0 and 8–7.
The team’s strong form continued on Friday, 9 October, with three further victories. South Africa defeated Lesotho 2–0 in their opening match of the day before recording a 2–0 win over Zambia. They then faced Lesotho for a second time, securing another 2–0 victory to maintain their unbeaten record.
Elsewhere in Friday’s matches, Zambia defeated Botswana 2–1, while Lesotho secured a 2–0 victory over Botswana. Zambia also claimed a second victory over Botswana, winning 2–0.
The competition has been played in extremely hot conditions, placing additional physical demands on the young athletes. The host university has been very helpful in accommodating the teams and providing comfortable facilities throughout the event.
With the round-robin matches completed, attention now turns to Saturday’s knockout fixtures. South Africa will face Lesotho in the first semi-final at 09:00, followed by Botswana against Zambia in the second semi-final at 10:30.
The bronze medal match is scheduled for 13:30, with the championship final set for 15:00 and the closing ceremony at 16:30.
Under the guidance of Juma and Scott-Maree, South Africa will be looking to maintain their unbeaten run as they enter the decisive stages of the competition, with the Southern African Youth Baseball5 title still to be decided.
