VII WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup Day 3: Chinese Taipei, Venezuela, USA and Korea stay undefeated
A heavy thunderstorm bothered Day 3 of the VII WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup. Still, no game was cancelled, thanks to remarkable work by the ground crew of the Asia Pacific International Baseball Stadium.
The game between the hosts Chinese Taipei and Mexico was influenced the most. With two outs in the bottom of the sixth, the game was delayed by 170 minutes before it could resume.
After two games, Chinese Taipei and Venezuela in Group A, the United States and Korea in Group B are undefeated. At the same time, Australia and Mexico in Group A and New Zealand and Panama in Group B are winless and face elimination on Day 4.
Day 3 Results
| Venezuela-Australia | 19-2 (4 innings) | BOX SCORE | GAME REPORT |
| USA-Panama | 6-4 | BOX SCORE | GAME REPORT |
| Czechia- New Zealand | 8-7 | BOX SCORE | GAME REPORT |
| Chinese Taipei-Mexico | 5-3 | BOX SCORE | GAME REPORT |
| Korea- Dominican Republic | 9-8 | BOX SCORE | GAME REPORT |
| Japan-Germany | 16-0 (4 innings) | BOX SCORE | GAME REPORT |
Korea-Dominican Republic 9-8
Korea came back from a 6-0 deficit to beat the Dominican Republic in a game that started with a two-hour delay because of heavy rains.
The Dominican Republic was off to a brilliant start against Korea's Jimwoong Lee. The Dominicans made the most of two walks and an error and scored two in the first. They broke the score open in the top of the second with four runs on two hits, including a three-run homer by shortstop Raiyer Gonzalez.
Korea stopped the bleeding by handing the ball to Dongkyu Lee and started a comeback attempt. In the bottom of the second they took advantage of a couple of walks and a wild pitch by starter Joshua Tomas.
They added two in the bottom of the third on reliever Angel Peralta thanks to back-to-back singles by Jinwoong Lee and Uijeong Lee, who batted in both runs.
Korea tied the game in the bottom of the fourth. Taewoong Yoon hit a two-RBI double to tie it, and Minyeong Yoon scored the go-ahead run on a wild pitch.
The tie didn't last. The Dominican Republic scored twice in the top of the fifth against Dongkyu Lee on an error and a balk.
Korea managed to take a tie into the sixth thanks to a double by Sangmyeong Yang and two balks by reliever Hendry Vargas.
The Dominican Republic stayed in the game thanks to a brilliant catch by third baseman Hendry Vargas.
Korea won it in the bottom of the sixth. Reliever Carlos Marrero walked Uijeong Lee, who advanced on an infield field, touched third on a passed ball and scored the walkoff run on a groundout.
Japan-Germany 16-0
Japan needed only one at-bat to open the score. The U-12 Samurai batted 19 times and scored 15 runs against two German pitchers. Designated hitter Yusuke Koma belted a three-run homer and a grand slam. The game ended after four innings.
Japan's designated hitter Yusuke Koma hit two home runs in the first inning, a three-run shot against starter Mason Cameron and a grand slam off Felix Blesing, totalling seven RBIs. Japan batted 19 times, combining 15 runs on ten hits. They went on to win in four innings.
Chinese Taipei-Mexico 5-3
Chinese Taipei earned their second. As in their debut against Japan, the late part was unusual. The hosts came within three strikes from winning when a heavy thunderstorm forced the umpires to call the game. Play resumed after a 170-minute delay, and it took only three pitches for reliever Ping-Yu Lin to get the final out.
Mexico took the lead in the bottom of the second. With runners at first and third, catcher Maximiliano Ortega hit a chopper to shortstop. Hao-Huan Luo couldn't complete the double play, and Santiago Garcia scored the go-ahead run from third. Sheng-Kai Gau got out of the innings, striking out right fielder Angel Ponce.
Chinese Taipei tied the game in the top of the fourth. Ya-En Chu singled and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt. Sheng-Rang Wang hit a hard chopper to second base that Rodrigo Lopez could stop but not handle, and Chu scored from second.
Chun Han Tien relieved Shen-Kai Gau in the bottom of the fourth. Now playing right fielder, in the top of the fifth Gau homered off Joaquin Duarte with a runner on to give Chinese Taipei a 3-1 lead.
Catcher Max Ortega led off the bottom half of the frame with a home run against Ting-Wei Lin, the third Chinese Taipei pitcher, making it a one-run game.
With runners at second at third, Qi-En Zheng pushed a two-RBI bunt to shortstop and gave Chinese Taipei two insurance runs.
Mexico loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the sixth, forcing Chinese Taipei to hand the ball to Ping-Yu Lin, their fourth pitcher. First baseman Carlos Durstewitz hit a sacrifice to center field to make it a two-run game. As Ortega stepped into the box, heavy rain forced the umpiring crew to delay the game.
The game resumed after a 170-minute delay. Lin returned to the mound to face Max Ortega, who had homered in his previous at-bat and represented the potential go-ahead run. The Mexican catcher looked at two balls, then hit a comebacker to the mound to end the game.
Czechia-New Zealand 8-7
Czechia resisted a shaky start of their pitchers and came back scoring two runs in the fourth and three in the fifth to beat New Zealand. Max Major had a couple of two-RBI doubles and reliever Robin Mika pitched 3-1 innings for the win.
Dominik Maly singled, Jakub Roeschl hit a two-run homer off Yuto Ikeda as Czechia took a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first.
Third baseman Andi Li hit a bases-loaded double off starter Tadeas Edmar and tied the game for New Zealand in the top of the second.
In the top of the third, Edmar and relievers Jan Panacek and Robin Mika combine four walks and hit a batter. Czechia adds a defensive error, and New Zealand take a 6-3 lead.
Trailing 7-2, Czechia cut New Zealand's lead thanks to a two-RBI double by first baseman Max Major in the bottom of the fourth and reversed it in the bottom of the fifth against Ikeda and reliever Benjamin Butler. Major hit his second two-RBI double, Maly added an RBI base hit to give Czechia an 8-7 lead.
Robin Mika retired the side in order in the top of the sixth.
USA-Panama 6-4
The defending U-12 World Champions broke a 3-3 tie with a three-run fifth at-bat and held on to the lead. The game ended with the tying run in scoring position for Panama. Reliever Gavin Gomez earned the win.
Panama got to left-hander Michael Ohman with one out in the top of the first. Shortstop Yuniesky Sanchez singled, and catcher Alain Cruz doubled, bringing him to third. Sanchez scored on a groundout.
The US tied the game in the bottom of the first on a sacrifice fly by first baseman Leyland Henry. Right fielder Tyler Early tried to score from third on a fly by shortstop Paris Head, but Panama's left fielder Isaac Achurra got him at the home plate.
The US took the lead in the second. With one out, third baseman Zaylon Johnson singled, and Ohman got to Panama's starter Dylan Williams with an RBI double. Williams walked Tyler Early with the bases loaded to give the US a third run.
Panama tied it in the top of the third. Achurra led off with a double. With one out, Ohman allowed a walk. Center fielder Algis Palacios followed with a two-RBI single to right field.
Early helped the US keep the score tied at three as he ended the top of the fourth with a diving catch on a blooper by Achurra with a runner in scoring position.
Dylan Williams allowed two walks and balked in the bottom of the fifth. He left with the runners and the corners. Johnson got to reliever Achurra's second pitch for a tie-breaking single and made it 4-3. The US added two runs on consecutive balks.
With runners at first and second and two outs, the US missed the chance of closing the game when Achurra reached on a throwing error and Panama scored their fourth run. With the tying run in scoring position, reliever Gavin Gonez struck out Sanchez to end the game.
Venezuela-Australia 19-2
Venezuela earned their second win in four innings. The previous edition's finalists scored eight in the first and cruised to the win. Francys Sandoval, the first and only girl on the team, threw a complete game.
Aussie starter Harrison Thomas-McLean allowed three walks and Venezuela added base hits by Angel Rondon, Willy Rodriguez and a double by José Castillo. Thomas-McLean left with one out and Venezuela added three hits on reliever Jakob Cruz to make it 8-0 after the first.
Right fielder Denis Quinter homered on the first pitch of the second.
Venezuela added four runs and after two innings the game was history.
- On Day 2: Chinese Taipei walked off Japan, and Venezuela's Willy Hernandez threw a no-hitter.
- All Day 1 games were postponed because of bad weather
- The 12 managers previewed the tournament after the Technical Meeting on Thursday, 27 July.
- On 27 July, the City of Tainan introduced the Chinese Taipei National Team to the media.
- Huan Nan Financial Holdings supports the U-12 Baseball World Cup.
- The 12 participants through the history of the tournament.
- Tainan has 400 years of rich history.
