Defending champions Taiwan yesterday broke Japan’s winning streak and dominated Iraq to remain undefeated in the second edition of the mixed-gender, under-18 Youth Baseball5 Asia Cup in Taipei.
In the early game in Xinyi District’s Chianti Avenue Plaza shopping area, world No. 2 Taiwan established a seemingly insurmountable lead over Iraq, racking up 12 runs in the first inning, two in the second and nine in the third to blank their opponents 23-0 in the first set.
Pitcher Sung Mi-chan led on the mound and at bat, crossing home plate seven times off seven hits, while Chen Xuan-chen scored five times.
Photo: CNA
While Taiwan again took an early lead in the first inning of the second set, with five runs, Iraq’s Sarah Hanno sent in Dalya Ali with an RBI single to put them on the board. That turned out to be their only run in the two sets, with Taiwan ultimately putting up 17 runs in four innings, led by Chen with six runs.
Baseball5 is played in best-of-three sets of five innings.
In the later game, Taiwan blanked Japan 4-0 in the first set, but faced stiff resistance in the second, with Japan grabbing three runs in the top of the first inning. Taiwan responded in the next frame, with Chen scoring off an RBI single from third basewoman Zhuang Yi-zhen and with second basewoman Hsu Wan-syuan singling to send catcher Chung Le-chia home.
Photo: CNA
While no one scored in the second inning, Taiwan took a substantial 8-3 lead in the third inning, which they held to win.
Taiwan lead the round-robin stage with four victories, ahead of Japan and South Korea, who are both 3-1.
On the opening day on Tuesday, Taiwan dominated Malaysia 16-2, 5-0 and beat South Korea 6-1, 9-1.
Photo: CNA
Taiwan is today to play Thailand and Hong Kong, with games to be held under the angular roof of the Taipei Performing Arts Center in Shilin District due to expected inclement weather, the World Baseball Softball Confederation Web site said.
Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, Malaysia, Thailand, Hong Kong and Iraq, who are competing in the tournament for the first time, are to play 26 games over the four-day event, including championship and bronze-medal games.
The top three finishers qualify for the Youth Baseball5 World Cup in Mexico.
Taiwan defeated China in 2023 to win the inaugural Youth Baseball5 Asia Cup and earn a berth to the World Cup in Ankara, where they finished sixth. Cuba, credited with popularizing what would become the Baseball5 format, beat France to win the tournament.
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