INTERCONTINENTAL STADIUM. Chinese Taipei improved to 3-1 in Group A of the XXVI 18U Baseball World Cup with a 10-0 blowout over Venezuela on Tuesday evening at Intercontinental Stadium in Taichung. Five runs in the first two innings and five in the sixth were enough for Team CT to capture to victory. Venezuela dropped to 2-2.

Chinese Taipei came through quickly against Venezuela’s starter Will Alvarez. 10 of his first 13 pitches were balls, as he walked the first two batters and then gave up a two-run double to Tzu-Hao Chen. Following a single he was replaced by Jesus Torres, but Chinese Taipei added two more runs in the frame thanks to a RBI single by Cheng-Tang Wang and a sac fly by Chia-Jung Liang. In the second Tzu-Chuan Liu extended the lead to 5-0 through a wild pitch.

The score remained the same for the next three frames until Chinese Taipei struck again. A RBI fielder’s choice by Kuo-Hao Wu opened a five-run rally. Cheng-Tang Wang and Chia-Jung Liang followed two batters later with a single and a double to build the score up to 10-0.

Chen-Yan Chiang allowed just four hits and a walk in five scoreless innings to earn the win. Tzu-Wei Lin closed it out in the sixth and seventh.

On Wednesday both teams will close out the first round. Venezuela takes on the Czech Republic in the morning game, Chinese Taipei faces Mexico in the evening.