Taiwan defeated the Austin Blackhawks of Texas 5-2 on Saturday at the Beep Baseball World Series in the US to claim the championship for the second consecutive year.
With a record of seven consecutive wins in the past four days in the series for visually impaired players, Taiwan Homerun faced the Blackhawks for the second time, after a 7-6 victory in Friday’s game.
Taiwan, who had taken a 5-0 lead, allowed two runs by the seven-time winners the Blackhawks in the bottom of the sixth inning, before sealing the victory.
Taiwan’s Leo Lin won the pitching award with a strikeout rate of 11.68 percent in the tournament.
The series, played at Golden Park in Columbus, Ohio, was established in the US in 1976. Taiwan has participated in the series 12 times in the past 16 years. Taiwanese teams won the championship from 2004 to 2006 and last year.
Officials from the Taiwan Non-Vision Sport and Culture Development Association expressed gratitude for the support of overseas Taiwanese fans, who cheered the team on throughout the tournament.
The association, which relies on donations from companies and the government, said it hopes to have more opportunities to take part in international events in the future. A Taiwanese team was absent from the tournament in 2007 and 2008 as a result of a shortage of funds.
Beep baseball is named after the beeping sound the baseball emits so visually impaired players can hear where the ball is. The bases on the field also make sounds to help guide the players.
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