An elementary school baseball team from Taiwan has pocketed two wins in the Pony Baseball Bronco League World Series being contested by eight teams in Monterey, California.
The Taiwanese team, formed by children aged 11 to 12 from Sijhih Elementary School in Taipei County, is competing in the series under the name "Chinese Taipei." The tournament, which is taking place at Jack's Park, began on Thursday and ends tomorrow.
The Taiwanese team was warmly received by both organizers and the local Chinese community. Some of the children said they were nearly moved to tears when they saw their national flag being raised during the opening ceremony.
On Thursday, the opening day of the series, Team Taiwan trounced the Stratford team from Connecticut -- the winners of the East Zone -- running up a score of 15 to 3, including eight runs in the first inning. The game was terminated at the end of the fifth inning when the Taiwan team's lead exceeded 10 runs.
In its second match on Saturday, the Taiwanese team again brought the game to an early end in the fifth inning by defeating the Pacific Grove team from California 27-1. Team Taiwan had seven runs in the first inning and scored in every inning thereafter, bringing in five runs in the second inning, four in the third and 11 in the fifth inning.
The Taiwanese team were to meet the Lafayette team from Indiana yesterday. Lafayette has also pocketed two wins, defeating Pacific Grove 6-5 and Stratford 15-14.
If Team Taiwan defeats Lafayette, they will be pitted against the runner-up in the White Division with the winner earning the right to compete in the final today.
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