Taiwan on Tuesday rallied past Japan to win their second Baseball5 Asia Cup title in Hong Kong, securing a berth in the World Baseball Softball Confederation Baseball5 World Cup.
Sung Mi-chia’s RBI single in the bottom of the fourth inning of the final set sent infielder Chen Xuan-chen in for his third run of the set to win 5-4 at Discovery Park.
The final got off to a rocky start, with Japan pipping Taiwan 5-4 in the first set, which Taiwan led through the bottom of the fourth inning, with crucial RBIs from Sung, Chen and Hsu Wan-syuan for four runs.
Photo courtesy of the Chinese Taipei Baseball Association via CNA
However, Japan staged a comeback in the fifth inning, with a critical two-run double from Ayako Rokkaku that sent in Shota Kamimura and Shun Mikami, followed by an RBI single from Ayano Kazuta to tie the set.
In extra-innings, Rokkaku hit the go-ahead run for Mikami.
Taiwan took an early lead in the second set, with Chen and Sung again crossing home plate in the first inning. Kamimura scored in the third, but were held to 2-1.
In the final set, Japan took the lead from the first inning, with Rokkaku’s double RBI sending in Kamimura and Mikami. Chen scored in the same inning to half the lead, but Japan added two more runs in the second.
Down 4-1 in the third, Taiwan rallied with RBI singles from Chen Qiao-lin, Chen Xuan-chen and Sung Mi-chia to tie the set, before Sung’s clutch RBI single sent in Chen Xuan-chen for the final run of the game.
Taiwan earlier in the day advanced to the final by sweeping South Korea 11-0, 6-4 in the semi-finals, setting up a third consecutive Asian Cup final against Japan.
Taiwan beat Japan 2-1 in the final of the inaugural Baseball5 Asia Cup title in 2022 in Kuala Lumpur, while Japan survived Taiwan 2-1 in 2024 in Seoul.
The win for Taiwan, led by head coach Feng Wei-kuo, secured them a berth in the Baseball5 World Cup in San Juan, Puerto Rico, from Dec. 9 to 13.
Baseball5 is a fast-paced, mixed-gender variation of baseball played with five players per side over five innings, usually in best-of-three sets, with batters hitting a rubber ball with their hands.
A runner who stopped during a marathon in China to pose doing the splits and another who hoarded energy gels have been banned for two years, the local athletics association said yesterday. The incidents happened during Sunday’s marathon in Sichuan Province’s Chengdu and were widely shared online. Videos showed a female runner stopping suddenly and dropping to the ground in the splits position, holding up her arms in a heart shape as she apparently posed for a photograph. She “committed obstructive fouls during the race, affecting the safe participation of other runners,” the Sichuan Athletics Association said in a statement, which identified
Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli yesterday vowed to “keep raising the bar” after winning the Japanese Grand Prix to become the youngest driver in Formula One history to lead the championship standings. The 19-year-old Italian took advantage of a mid-race safety car to jump into the lead after a dreadful start from pole position, crossing the line ahead of McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. Antonelli’s Suzuka victory came two weeks after the first grand prix win of his career in China, and sent him top of the championship standings after three races, nine points ahead of team-mate George Russell. Mercedes are struggling to
Teng Kai-wei, the only Taiwanese player on an opening-day roster in this year’s Major League Baseball (MLB) season, took his first win of the year with the Houston Astros in his season debut. Teng entered in relief in the top of the fifth inning against the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday, with the Astros trailing 5-0. He pitched 2-1/3 scoreless innings with two strikeouts, as Houston scored 11 runs during his outing to snatch an 11-9 comeback victory. The win is the Astros’ first of the season and the third of Teng’s MLB career. “It’s my first time pitching for the Astros, so
Workers are hammering, cranes are swinging and seats are being bolted into place — but the clock is ticking. Mexico City’s famous Azteca stadium, reborn as Estadio Banorte, is in a frantic race to be ready for its grand reopening on Saturday. Drone footage showed crews installing seats and attaching the new stadium name to the facade, with cranes looming overhead 48 hours before the gates are due to open for a high-profile friendly between Mexico and Portugal. For residents, the breakneck pace of construction has done little to inspire confidence. “I know they are working practically seven days a week, 24 hours
RSS