Chao-Hung Chang’s two home runs lift Chinese Taipei past Puerto Rico 16-2
06/09/2023 2 Minute Read

Chao-Hung Chang’s two home runs lift Chinese Taipei past Puerto Rico 16-2

Chinese Taipei advanced to the Super Round undefeated. Puerto Rico are now 3-1. The game against Korea will decide their final position and Super Round record.

Chao-Hung Chang hit two home runs against Puerto Rico, securing Chinese Taipei their fifth win, 16-2, at the XXXI WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup. Ching-Hsien Ko also hit a homer in the bottom of the fourth.

Chinese Taipei executed a swift 1-6-3 double play to get starting pitcher Yi Lei Sun out of the first inning.

Right after, they presented their whole lineup at bat and started a rally. Puerto Rico starter Alexis Martinez could not get out of the inning. Ting-Lun Hsu and Chang earned two runs on an error, and then the team loaded the bases on a walk. Chinese Taipei added three more runs to the scoreboard on a balk, a single and an error. Before reliever Carlos Jazmin could get the third out, the lead widened to 5-0.

Chinese Taipei’s rally continued in the bottom of the second with the lineup at bat again. Chang hit a two-RBI homerun to deep centre field, extending the lead to 7-0. Puerto Rico centre fielder Jan Reyes then caught the flyball and sent it to first base for a double play.

Shao-Yu Hsu doubled to left field, driving in Chia-Wei Lin’s run and rewriting the score to 8-0. Puerto Rico turned to their second reliever of the game, Henry Clausell. Chinese Taipei scored six more runs before the inning ended at 14-0, including Chang’s three-RBI homer to the deep centre field.

In the bottom of the third, pinch hitter Li-En Lin singled to left field, sending pinch runner Shao-Wei Lin back home, extending the lead to 15-0.

Ching-Hsien Ko also joined the homerun contest in the bottom of the fourth, rewriting the scoreboard to 16-0 with his solo shot.

Puerto Rico got on the scoreboard in the top of the fifth when they loaded the bases with three singles. Jan Marrero scored Puerto Rico’s first run of the game, and Yeriel Pastrana’s single to left field drove in Hederick Torres’ run, ending the game 16-2.

XXXI WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup-Day 7 PUR v TPE

Chinese Taipei finished the Opening Round on the top of Group A with a perfect record.
Puerto Rico (3-1) will play the second game of the doubleheader against Korea. The winner will finish second.