Team Taiwan defeated Venezuela 3-0 in Group B of the Premier 12 Baseball Championship Nov. 6 in the central city of Taichung, moving a step closer to qualification for the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympic Games.
Starting pitcher Chang Yi, a rookie sensation with the Orix Buffaloes professional baseball team in Japan, collected six strikeouts and gave up only four hits in seven scoreless innings, with relievers Chen Kuan-yu and Lin Kai-wei as well as closer Chen Hung-wen wrapping things up to shut out their South American opponents.
Taiwan started its attack early with fully loaded bases in the first inning, but failed to capitalize after a double play ended the offense. Two more runners were on base in the fourth inning before pinch hitter Lin Che-hsuan failed to send either of them home.
Both sides remained scoreless until the seventh inning, when two back-to-back doubles by Chu Yu-hsien and Wang Wei-chen gave Taiwan a 2-0 lead. The lead was extended in the ninth inning thanks to a single and stolen base by designated hitter Hu Chin-lung and two defensive errors.
The victory is Taiwan’s second in the group, following its 6-1 win over Puerto Rico the day before. Regardless of the result of its next game, the local side is guaranteed a spot in the six-team Premier12 Super Round and Finals set for Nov. 11-17 in Japan.
Organized by the World Baseball Softball Confederation, the second edition of the Premier 12 Baseball Championship also involves teams from Australia, Canada, Cuba, Dominica, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, South Korea and the U.S. The top two squads other than Japan will qualify to join the host at the summer Olympics next year. (SFC-E)
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