China earned their third win in Group B of the WBSC Women's Softball World Cup by thrashing Spain 8-0 ©WBSC

China and Cuba have both sealed playoff spots in Group B of the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Women's Softball World Cup in Valencia, despite the latter suffering their first defeat to Puerto Rico.

Four of the six teams competing are set to reach the playoffs, with the top two facing off on Saturday (July 22) for a place in next year's Finals.

The loser of that match is set to face the winner of a tie between the third and fourth-place teams for the second Finals berth from Group B.

China are now the only team with a perfect record in Group B after thrashing hosts Spain 8-0 at the Camp Municipal de Beisbol i Sofbol de València for their third win.

Their latest success included four runs from four hits in the first inning and a huge home run from Jiaxin Xie in the fourth.

Cuba remain second with a 0.75 win ratio, despite their first defeat to the world number four ranked side Puerto Rico.

Janelle Martinez provided two runs batted in (RBI) and one run in the second inning to help her team triumph 3-1.

Puerto Rico are third with a 0.667 ratio from their first three matches, and The Netherlands' first wins of the tournament put them fourth with 0.500.

They edged past Spain 3-2, with the host nation left fifth on 0.250 with only one match remaining against Puerto Rico, and then thrashed winless South Africa 11-1.

Maxime van Dalen provided a home run in the third inning, and seven Dutch players notched at least one RBI against South Africa.

Round robin action in Group B is set to conclude with a further four matches tomorrow, with the playoffs scheduled for Saturday.

The teams are aiming to join hosts Italy and the United States and Australia from Group A at next year's WBSC Women's Softball World Cup Finals.

Two teams can also qualify from Group C, due to be held in Italy from Saturday until Wednesday (July 26), with one wildcard entry set to complete the Finals line-up.