Tien-Mou/Taipei City. Defending champion Chinese Taipei has reached the semifinal at the II 12U Baseball World Cup as the fourth team. On Friday evening they defeated Korea 3-1 in the evening game at Tien-Mou Stadium. Ching-Chieh Chen threw a complete game two-hitter to lead his team to the win. Chinese Taipei now will face Venezuela, hoping to return to the Gold Medal Game.
It was a tight ball game at Tien-Mou Stadium in front of a good crowd despite a 20-minute rain delay prior to the first pitch. Neither team was able reach the plate in the first two innings. Chinese Taipei broke the scoreless tie with two runs in the bottom of the third. Chun-Hao Ma drove in Chih-Chun Chen with a single. A throwing error by the first baseman moved him to second. Moments later Korea’s third baseman dropped an easy popup and allowed Ma to score run number two.
Korea answered right away. Ji Min Shin led off the fourth with a walk and advanced to second after an error on a pickoff attempt. He came around on Dong Wook Kwon’s double to right field. However Chinese Taipei escaped this difficult situation, when shortstop Chih-Chun Chen made a sliding catch in foul territory and then doubled off Kwon at second base for an inning-ending double play.
In the fifth Chinese Taipei added an insurance run. Once again the Ma-Chen combination went to work. Chih-Chun Chen singled and stole second with one out. Chun-Hao Ma drove him in with a single through the middle.
Ching-Chieh Chen did the best with the provided run support. He allowed just two hits, an unearned run and a walk in six strong innings. He struck out six for his second win in the tournament. Jae Min Seo got charged with the loss, surrendering three runs (2 ER) on six hits in 4 1/3 frames.
While Chinese Taipei moves up into the semifinals, Korea has to settle for the classification round, taking on Mexico on Saturday morning at Youth Park.
