The Super Round of the WBSC U-15 Baseball World Cup 2022 in Hermosillo, Mexico, concluded Saturday night. The day's action saw Chinese Taipei defeat Panama 5-4 in extra innings, Japan top Puerto Rico 9-1 and USA win big over Cuba, 11-1.
USA won the Super Round with a 4-1 record and advances to Sunday's World Championship Final against Cuba at Sonora Stadium at 17:00 local time. As the Super Round winner, USA will be the home team in the Final.
USA’s victory also set up the Bronze Medal Game, where Chinese Taipei will take on Japan, in an all-Asia match up. Chinese Taipei will be the home team.
Puerto Rico finishes the U-15 World Cup in 5th place, followed by 6th place Panama, who also end their run in the tournament.
In the Placement Round competitions, host Mexico closed their tournament with a win over Colombia to finish in 7th place, ahead of 8th place Venezuela and 9th place Colombia. Czechia topped South Africa, 10-0, to earn 10th place, while France finished the13-nation U-15 World Cup in 11th place, Guam in 12th place and South Africa in 13th place.
SUPER ROUND
PLACEMENT ROUND
Cuba 1-11 USA
Bottom 6th - CUB 1-11 USA: Brady Ebel hits an RBI single and scores on a double off the bat of Ethan Holiday. Holiday scores on a single to left field by Alex Harrington to end the game.
Bottom 4th - CUB 1-8 USA: Grady Emerson and Andrew Costello hit a pair of bombs to lead a seven-run rally for USA
Top 4th - CUB 1-1 USA: Maikel Rodriguez scores on a wild pitch and ties the game!!!
Bottom 3rd - CUB 0-1 USA: A pair of doubles by James Tronstein and Andrew Costello put USA in front, 1-0.
Puerto Rico 1-9 Japan
Bottom 6th - PUR 1-9 JPN: Kenta Hatakenaka hits an RBI single to bring the ninth Japanese run in.
Bottom 5th - PUR 1-8 JPN: Japan extends the lead with a bases-loaded walk and a two-RBI single by Isshin Kikuchi.
Bottom 3rd - PUR 1-4 JPN: Riku Tsuchija scores from second with and RBI triple off the bat of Kenta Hatakenaka. Then Shoot Elina hit a run-scoring single.
Top 3RD - PUR 1-3 JPN: Puerto Rico scores their first run on a wild pitch.
Bottom 2nd - PUR 0-3 JPN: Japan scores three in the bottom of the second. Ryusa Tsuji scores on a wild pitch, from second base!!
Chinese Taipei 5-4 Panama
Chinese Taipei wins!!! Chinese Taipei scores twice in the top of the eighth with an RBI single by Ting-Hsuan Ku and a sacrifice fly by Hsing-Kai Wang. Panama answered with one, but left the potential tying run stranded on second.
Bottom 7th - TPE 3-3 PAN: We are going to extra innings!!
Top 7th - TPE 3-3 PAN: Chinese Taipei tied the game in the top of the seventh on a run-scoring single by Kuan-Yu Ku.
Bottom 4th - TPE 3-2 PAN: Chinese Taipei tied the game with a two-out single by Chun-Chih Fu in the top of the fourth; but Panama regained the lead thanks to a defensive error.
Bottom 3rd - TPE 2-1 PAN: Panama takes the lead on a single by Iverson Allen.
After two complete innings, Chinese Taipei and Panama are tied 1-1. The Asian squad scored in the top of the first when Hung-Jen Yeh crossed the plate on a wild pitch. Panama tied the game with a sacrifice fly by Luis Plicet.
