Taiwan sit in joint second in the WBSC U-15 Baseball World Cup Super-Round standings after a 6-4 win over Japan in Hermosillo, Mexico Thursday (local time).
Taiwan, competing under the name Chinese Taipei, trailed Japan 2-0 at the bottom of the third inning following a two-run single off the bat of third baseman Rui Yanountil.
Japan’s starting pitcher Shintaro Sakamoto then kept Taiwan scoreless for the first four innings before he was replaced on the mound by reliever Haruto Kashiwazaki.
The pitching change proved disastrous for Japan, who went behind 4-2 after Kashiwazaki allowed first baseman Fu Chun-chih (???), second baseman Huang Yan-lun (???), right fielder Chiang Tsung-chun (???), and left fielder Chu Kuan-yu (???) to score at the top of the fifth.
Japan pulled a run back at the bottom of the inning, but Taiwan reestablished their advantage in the sixth with runs from third baseman Wang Hsing-kai(???) and first baseman Fu.
Taiwan were then able to restrict Japan to a single seventh-inning run to secure the win.
The victory was credited to Taiwan’s relief pitcher Huang Tien-szu (???), who kept the Japanese batters at bay by pitching 3.2 innings and only giving up seven hits and two runs, with two strikeouts.
Taiwan now sits tied for second place alongside Japan and the United States with two games left to play in the Super Round.
The Super Round’s top-two sides will face each other in the tournament’s championship game, with third and fourth facing off in the bronze medal match.
Cuba currently sits at the top of the standings with a 3-0 record.
The Super Round’s two other teams, Panama and Puerto Rico, are both 0-3.
Taiwan’s next Super Round match is on Friday against the U.S. at Estadio Sonora, Hermosillo.
The WBSC U-15 Baseball World Cup in Hermosillo, Mexico started with 13 teams placed in three groups competing in a round-robin format. The top two teams of each group advanced to the Super Round, while the other seven national teams are competing for placement.
The biennial WBSC U-15 Baseball World Cup was canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2018, Taiwan finished third, behind the U.S. and Panama.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel