The Black Sox have plummetted to a shock defeat against Venezuela on a day of highs and lows at the world softball championships.
Venezuela, who lost to the Kiwis in the 2013 world final at Albany, triumphed 7 - 3 in Canada this afternoon, their first-ever win over the Black Sox.
New Zealand's remaining pool games should bring victories over Denmark and Botswana, but they are headed for a three-way tie with Japan and Venezuela in the race for the favoured top two positions in their pool.
The day had started so promisingly for New Zealand, who went on a batting rampage led by captain Nathan Nukunuku to beat Japan 8 - 1 in a rain delayed match. New Zealand had trailed Japan 0 - 1 when the game resumed in the morning.
Disappointing base running was at the heart of the Black Sox' defeat to Venezuela, who are ranked seven in the world. The South Americans, who were beaten 7 - 0 by Japan early in the tournament, stormed to an early 3 - 0 lead off starting pitcher Nik Hayes.
