The US team defeated Taiwan 7-2 to seize the 2017 Under-12 Baseball World Cup tournament title, as the hosts came up short in the final and had to settle for the silver medal, while Mexico grabbed third place with a narrow 1-0 defeat over Japan.
It was the third consecutive showdown for the Under-12 trophy between the US and Taiwan, with the squads facing each other in the biennial competition in 2013 and 2015, with the US team prevailing both times. Taiwan last won the title in 2011 when they downed Cuba.
US team manager David Sharp started Brandon Olivera on the mound, while Kai Caranto mopped up in the final two frames.
Photo: Huang Chih-yuan, Taipei Times
Caranto was the starting shortstop and he teamed up with first baseman Raffaele Velazquez as the offensive threat against the hosts.
They each had a home run and two hits.
The US took a four-run lead in the third inning, then Taiwan rattled Olivera with two runs in the fourth frame and cut the deficit to 4-2.
Taiwan’s pitchers could not hold the US players, as they scored three runs in the fifth frame to round out the game 7-2.
Sharp called on Caranto to pitch the last two frames, but had runners in scoring position in the fifth inning.
In the sixth inning, Caranto set the Taiwanese batters down one-by-one, with the final out on an infield grounder at first base.
As the US team celebrated their title win, some Taiwan players wept over losing the finale.
In the battle for third place, Mexican left-handed pitcher Juan Pablo Hernandez tossed a victory against Japan, with the Latin American visitors scoring a lone run in the fifth inning.
Hernandez scattered five hits and did not issue a walk for the shut-out win, while Japanese batters could not get a rally going through the six-inning regulation play.
The Mexican silver medal victory was their best showing in the competition, which is hosted by Tainan and the World Baseball Softball Confederation.
“This is my first complete game, I never thought it would come at such an important game. It was a nice surprise for me and I am very happy to get the win,” Hernandez said after the game.
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