Defending champions Chinese Taipei and 2019 bronze medallists Czech Republic opened their campaigns in the II WBSC U-12 Softball World Cup with victories, while Singapore achieved a 1-1 win-loss card on Wednesday at Jin-Long Stadium.
See the full schedule and results here.
Chinese Taipei showed its excellent form against Singapore with a 18-0 victory, highlighted by the lone home run of the day from Sheng-Zhi Wu, who swung the three-runner that built a 6-0 lead in the second inning.
It was not just the centre fielder’s homer that drew
attention, but the overall performance gave the spark to Chinese Taipei’s
offence. Sheng-Zhi Wu made three out of four hits, completed two runs and six
RBIs.
“I am just very happy about this victory and that home run. In this game, I was just focused on hitting first and hitting a home run was a big surprise. I just want to get better each game to achieve our goal of defending the title,” Sheng-Zhi Wu said.
The Czech Republic also delivered an impressive win against Hong Kong. The 2019 third-placers outplayed their Asian rivals with a 10-0 scoreline, where seven players combined for the total runs, complimenting the excellent pitching performance of their captain Marketa Svecova who had 10 strikeouts in the game.
Meanwhile, before losing to the hosts, Singapore started their day with a 12-5 triumph over India to be in solo third place on the first day.
Opening Ceremony
WBSC Secretary General Beng Choo Low expressed her gratitude to the host nation for its great support for WBSC baseball and softball events during an impressive Opening Ceremony.
"It is always great to be back in Taiwan, which has been a great supporter and partner-
organiser of our World and Asia Baseball and Softball tournaments.
"We are aware of the many challenges that the global COVID-19 pandemic has put in
our path to move forward with the organisation of our tournaments and events, and
the many restrictions still present. For this we express deepest appreciation to our
hosts, the Chinese Taipei Softball Association and the Taichung city officials and
authorities for making this tournament a reality.
"I am sure that this U-12 Softball World Cup will be a memorable experience as we
watch the best young players compete for the title of World Champion. I wish all the
teams the very best of luck and an enjoyable tournament."
India once again will play the first game on Thursday against Hong Kong at 09:00 local time (UTC+8). The second game features the encounter between the Czech Republic and Singapore at 11:00, followed by Hong Kong’s second game of the day against the host team at 13:00. The Czech Republic and Chinese Taipei will cap Day 2 with their exciting duel at 15:00.
