XXXI WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup-Day 1: Chinese Taipei shut out Australia
Hosts Chinese Taipei beat Australia, 3-0, to open the XXXI WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup at Tianmu Stadium in Taipei City on Thursday.
Yi-Lei Sun threw a gem and led Chinese Taipei to the first win of the tournament. The right-hander used 91 pitches to go the distance. He allowed only two walks and two hits while striking out eight.
"I felt pretty good with my changeup during pre-game, so I used it a lot tonight. It helped me to get the strikeout when I needed it," said Sun after the game. "Last year, I used to pitch around the batters, but this year, I found a way to improve my fastball and off-speed stuff, and I could generate more swing-and-misses. The fastball speed is no longer my priority."
Australia's Adam Bates duelled with him for four innings and left after allowing the go-ahead run on the fourth hit he allowed.
Centre fielder Ching-Hsien Ko led Chinese Taipei offence going 2-for-2 with two doubles.
| Chinese Taipei-Australia | 3-0 | BOX SCORE |
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Live blog as it happened
WBSC President Riccardo Fraccari and Chinese Taipei Baseball Association (CTBA) vice president Hua-Wei Lin declared the tournament open half an hour before playball at the end of the opening ceremony.
Right-hander Yi-Lei Sun took the mound for Chinese Taipei. The XXXI WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup is on its way.
Left fielder Ting-Lun Hsu doubled with one out along the right foul line off Aussie starter Adam Bates with one out in the bottom of the first for the first hit of the tournament.
Australia's catcher Joshua Davies showcased his defensive skills in the second.
Bates allowed a two-out walk in the bottom of the fourth, and Chinese Taipei made the most of hit. Centre fielder Ching-Hsien Ko reached on an infield single, and first baseman Hsun-Chieh Lee broke the tie with an RBI single to the left.
Left-handed reliever Lachlan Rosser led off the bottom of the sixth with a walk. Third baseman Nian-Hao Wang got to his fourth pitch with a double to left. With runners at second and third, the wind proved challenging to handle for Australia's outfield. Both second basemen Mu-Heng Chen and Ching-Hsien Ko popped, and both fly balls fell.
Sun retired the side in order in the top of the seventh
