The Black Sox have bounced back from yesterday's loss to Japan in emphatic fashion this morning with a mercy-rule drubbing of the Philippines.
After yesterday's 5-1 defeat, coach Mark Sorenson simply said the offence needs to "swing their way out" of the slump they were in and today they delivered a 15-0 win in three innings to back up that statement.
The Kiwi side jumped out to a 2-0 lead after the first innings, when Thomas Enoka scored an RBI with a bunt and Nathan Nukunuku swiped home on a pass ball.
Nukunuku followed up with a three-run home run to deep right field in the following innings before Reilly Makea notched an RBI of his own to score Wayne Laulu with a single to left field.
With a 6-0 lead heading into the third, the floodgates well and truly opened when Campbell Enoka blasted a a three-run home run to centre field in his 50th appearance for the Black Sox.
Nukunuku added a second home run to his tally for the match soon after, before Makea added two more RBIs with a double to deep left field.
Jackson Watt completed the game with two RBIs of his own.
The win guarantees the Black Sox a top-three finish in their pool heading towards playoffs, but a win tomorrow against Argentina - who are currently 5-1 in comparison to the Kiwis, who are 4-2 - would get them the second seed on who-beat-who status.
Pool A's third seed will face Australia in the quarter-finals while the second seed will play the winner of tonight's final Pool B round robin game between USA and Venezuala.
The Black Sox, who are competing for their eighth world title in Prague, play Argentina at 4.30am tomorrow.
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