Taiwan stormed into the semi-finals of the 12U Baseball World Cup with a 3-1 win over South Korea at the Taipei Municipal Baseball Stadium in Tianmu last night.
Starter Chen Ching-chieh went the distance to pick up the complete-game win, shutting down South Korea in a two-hit gem.
“[Chen’s] control was the main reason he got the start tonight,” Liu said after the game about his decision to send Chen to the mound.
Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei Times
Also starring for Taiwan was shortstop Chen Chih-chun whose alerting throw to second following a spectacular sliding catch in foul territory completed a crucial double play to help his team protect a 2-1 lead.
Doing the damage at the plate for Taiwan was Ma Chun-hao who drove in two of his team’s three runs on a 2-for-3 hitting.
VENEZUELA 5, MEXICO 3
Venezuela rumbled their way into the semi-finals with a win over Mexico in Tianmu yesterday morning.
Stellar pitching by Mexican starter Victor Perez kept the powerful Venezuelan offense to a lone single over three scoreless frames, giving Mexico a surprising 1-0 advantage on the strength of Kevin Garcia’s solo home run off Venezuelan starter Bernie Reyes in the top of the second.
The Venezuelan hitters finally solved Perez in the fourth with a pair of doubles by Jose Aguilar and Carlos Fernandez in a three-run inning to grab a 3-1 lead.
After Sander Mora’s two-run double with two outs made it 5-1 in the bottom of the fifth, Mexico rallied a pair of runs off Venezuelan reliever Daniel Perez.
Aaron Bracho entered the game with two outs and the tying run on by fanning the only Mexican batter he faced to preserve the win.
Manuel Colorado was credited with the win for tossing a scoreless fourth while the loss went to Mexico’s Victor Perez.
JAPAN 4, PANAMA 2
Clutching hitting by Japan was the difference in the game as they came up big by scoring all of their runs with two outs to double up on Panama in their win in Tianmu yesterday afternoon.
Tomoharu’s two-out double with runners on second and third gave Japan a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first before they doubled the cushion an inning later on Taiyo Ueda’s two-run single with the bases loaded and two outs.
Starter Hidemasa Takamizu held the Panamanian offense to two runs before closer Shota Sawamura tossed a scoreless fifth and sixth.
US 2, BRAZIL 0
Team USA rode the right arm of starter Andrew Pintar who pitched five shutout innings of two-hit ball to help lift his team past Brazil at the Taipei Youth Park.
Shohei Ohtani and his wife arrived in South Korea with his Los Angeles Dodgers teammates yesterday ahead of their season-opening games with the San Diego Padres next week. Ohtani, wearing a black training suit and a cap backwards, was the first Dodgers player who showed up at the arrival gate of Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul. His wife, Mamiko Tanaka, walked several steps behind him. As a crowd of fans, many wearing Dodgers jerseys, shouted his name and cheered slogans, Ohtani briefly waved his hand, but did not say anything before he entered a limousine bus with his wife. Fans held placards
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