A Taiwanese little league team of 11 and 12-year-olds in the Bronco Division overcame stern challenges and a protest by hosts South Korea to win the Asia-Pacific title in Seoul, thereby earning the right to represent the region at the world championships next month.
The Taiwanese team is comprised of students from Kaohsiung elementary schools, who defeated Taitung County students 19-5 in the final of the national competition in May.
In the Asia-Pacific semi-final on Monday morning, they faced South Korea B and the teams were deadlocked at 3-3 after the regulation seven innings.
Photo: courtesy of the Chinese Taipei Baseball Association
Still tied in extra innings, Taiwan had a player caught in a rundown, who seemed to get tagged out, but head coach Yen Meng-chan queried the call, arguing that the South Korean fielder made the tag with his glove while holding the ball in his other hand, and the umpires agreed to reverse the ruling.
The decision incensed the South Korea coaches, who protested vigorously before walking off, and the game was abandoned. The umpires awarded Taiwan a 7-0 win, as per international regulations.
In the final against South Korea A on Monday afternoon, both sides fought to a 5-5 draw after seven innings.
In extra innings, relief pitcher Wang Tien-hsin let his bat do the talking by hitting a grand slam homer to win the game 9-5 as Taiwan advanced to the Bronco World Series tournament in Los Alamitos, California, in the first week of next month.
“We told our kids to have no fear when facing the stronger South Korean teams, that they have the extra fighting spirit,” Yen said. “They did that and we managed to beat the hosts in very difficult circumstances.”
Meanwhile, the Chinese Taipei Baseball Association (CTBA) has banned three coaches at Taoyuan’s Ping Jen High School for a year for “violating the spirit of the sport” during the little league Asia-Pacific playoffs for under-18s in Nanjing, China, earlier this month.
After reviewing video footage, CTBA officials said there was evidence to indicate that the school’s players deliberately “under-performed” in a loss to the Philippines on July 7, a result which knocked China out of the competition by elevating the Philippines to second place.
Taiwan eventually defeated both China and the Philippines to win the regional title, but the hosts lodged a protest, which tarnished the image of Taiwanese baseball, the CTBA said.
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