TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Taiwan's U18 baseball team secured a decisive 10-2 victory over Australia on Monday (Sept. 8) in the U-18 Baseball World Cup, clinching a spot in the Super Round. The match took place in Okinawa, Japan, where both teams entered with a 2-1 record. Taiwan launched an aggressive offense in the bottom of the first inning, paving the way for their triumph.
Pitcher Wang I-hsiang (王奕翔) delivered a stellar performance, starting four scoreless innings and striking out four batters, effectively stifling Australia's attempts. In the opening inning, Taiwan scored five runs, with Chiang Ting-i (江庭毅) reaching base on a walk and Tseng Sheng-en (曾聖恩) securing two more runs with a double. Taiwan added another run in the second inning through a combination of walks, errors, and a wild pitch.
Lee Kai-chi (李楷棋) extended Taiwan's lead in the third inning with a triple that brought in three runs, followed by a sacrifice fly that secured the 10th run. Wang averted a bases-loaded crisis in the first inning, while Australia failed to capitalize on a batter interference call in the second. He Hua (何樺) took over pitching duties in the fifth inning, allowing two unearned runs over two innings.
Lin Chun-hsi (林珺希) closed the game with a scoreless inning, preserving Taiwan's victory and improving their record to 3-1. Taiwan will face Germany, who lost to Panama and now holds a 2-2 record, in their final preliminary match Tuesday (Sept. 9) at 5:30 p.m.