New Taipei City clinched the Pony League youth baseball World Series Championship after a 4-1 triumph over Monterrey, Mexico, in the US on Wednesday.
A solid outing from pitcher Lu Gaun-wei led the team, made up mainly of players from New Taipei City’s Er Chong Junior High School and a few from Xintai Junior High School, to the title at the Lew Hays Pony Field in Washington, Pennsylvania.
Lu, who had pitches 4-2/3 scoreless innings against Johnstown, Pennsylvania, in New Taipei City’s previous game, contributed another 3-2/3 innings with three strikeouts while surrendering five hits against Monterrey.
Photo: AP
With one out at the top of the fourth, New Taipei City put runners on first and second on the back of a Lee Cheng-yen double and Shih Cheng-yu’s walk, closing out the inning with a three-run frame following a fielder’s choice and error.
They added an insurance run at the top of the fifth on an infield grounder from Lee Cheng-yen.
After a brief stint in relief for Pan Ting-hao, who gave up one run, closer Lee took to the mound with the bases loaded in the bottom of the fifth.
Lee put in a solid performance, sealing the championship by striking out the next seven hitters while only giving up two hits.
The series is an international tournament for players aged 13 and 14.
New Taipei City qualified for the tournament as the Asia-Pacific Zone champions. Their first game in the US was a 6-1 win against Guaynabo, the Caribbean Zone champions. They lost their next game 4-2 against Johnstown, Pennsylvania, but earned a second chance against them with a 12-0 shutout of Bay County, Michigan.
They did not spurn the chance at redress, beating Johnstown twice to reach the final. Their 7-3 win in Game 15 forced a third encounter in Game 17, which New Taipei City won 6-1 to set up the grand final clash against the Mexico Zone champions.
The title is the third collected by New Taipei City, coming after their 2016 and 2018 triumphs.
The previous Taiwanese team to win the Pony Championship was Taipei in 2019.
Elsewhere in Pennsylvania, the Fu Lin Little League team participated in the opening ceremony at the Little League Baseball World Series in South Williamsport.
Taipei’s Fu Lin Elementary School earned their place at the Howard J. Lamade Stadium after last month winning the Asia-Pacific Region Championship with victory over a team representing South Korea.
They were to play their first game yesterday.
The Greek basketball league finals between Panathinaikos and Olympiakos were suspended by the government on Monday following on-court scuffles involving rival security teams. The best-of-five series is at 1-1. The third game, scheduled for today, has been postponed. The owners of both clubs were summoned to meet with the country’s sports minister. They “will be asked to provide explicit guarantees that this situation will be brought to an end. If not, this year’s championship will be definitively canceled,” government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis said. “There can be no tolerance for such pathological phenomena of violence and delinquency.” In online posts, the owners of Panathinaikos and
‘DREAM’: The 5-0 victory was PSG’s first Champions League title, and the biggest final win by any team in the 70-year history of the top-flight European competition Paris Saint-Germain won the Champions League for the first time as Luis Enrique’s brilliant young side outclassed Inter on Saturday in the most one-sided final ever with teenager Desire Doue scoring twice in an astonishing 5-0 victory. Doue supplied the pass for Achraf Hakimi to give PSG an early lead and the 19-year-old went from provider to finisher as his deflected shot doubled the advantage in the 20th minute. Doue scored again just after the hour mark, ending any doubt about the outcome before Khvicha Kvaratskhelia ran away to get the fourth and substitute Senny Mayulu, another teenager, made it five. Inter were
Ryan Yarbrough picked up a dazzling World Series ring from his time with the Los Angeles Dodgers last season. Then he went out and beat them. The New York Yankees starter on Sunday pitched one-run ball over six innings, struck out a season-high five and blanked the Dodgers’ top four hitters in a 7-3 win. “I feel like I’m in a really good place right now and really trying to continue that,” Yarbrough said. “I’m having a lot of fun.” The 33-year-old left-hander made 44 relief appearances between the Dodgers and Blue Jays last season. The Dodgers designated him for assignment on July
The Crusaders yesterday produced a clinical performance in difficult conditions to beat the Queensland Reds 32-12 and claim home advantage in next week’s Super Rugby semi-finals. Lock Scott Barrett and prop Tamaiti Williams scored first-half tries to reward an outstanding performance from the Crusaders’ forwards in wet, slippery conditions and bitterly cold temperatures. Scrumhalf Noah Hotham defied the conditions in the second half to score a superb solo try and, after kicking a conversion and penalty to make the score 22-0 at the hour mark, flyhalf Rivez Reihana scored a try which took the game beyond the Reds. “Typical Christchurch weather, cold, wet
RSS