Okinawa: Taiwan advanced to the U-18 Baseball World Cup super round after routing Australia 10-2 in Okinawa on Monday. The victory marked Taiwan’s third win in the group stage, securing their spot alongside the United States in the super round from Group B. The United States had earlier defeated China 10-0 to maintain a perfect 4-0 record.
According to Focus Taiwan, despite scoring 10 runs, Taiwan managed only five hits throughout the game, while Australia recorded 10 hits. A pivotal moment for Taiwan came when Li Kai-qi delivered a bases-clearing triple in the bottom of the third inning. Notably, no Taiwanese batter had more than one hit in the game.
Pitching played a crucial role in Taiwan’s success as Wang Yi-shiang maintained his composure, effectively containing Australia during his four-inning start. Wang, who had previously pitched one scoreless inning against Team USA in Taiwan’s 4-0 loss on Saturday, struck out four batters and allowed five hits and one walk in his first start of the tournament.
Australia managed to score its first run in the top of the fifth inning after Wang was replaced by Ho Hua. The team scored both of its runs after Ho took the mound, although only one was earned due to fielding errors by Taiwan.
Looking ahead, Taiwan is set to face Germany at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday in its final group game. Germany is currently tied with Australia at 2-2 after suffering a 14-0 defeat against Panama on Monday.
Meanwhile, in Group A, Japan and Puerto Rico have advanced to the super round with three wins each. The final spot in the super round is being contested by Cuba, South Korea, South Africa, and Italy. Teams that do not advance will participate in the placement round, vying for positions six through twelve. The tournament is scheduled to conclude on Sunday.
