Taiwan secures slot in 2024 Women's Baseball World Championship Finals

Taipei, Sept. 17 (CNA) Taiwan has advanced to the 2024 World Championship Finals after defeating France by 10 runs in its last group game at the WBSC Women's Baseball World Cup on Sunday.

The 15-5 trouncing led to the world No. 2 Taiwan team finishing second in Group B with a 4-1 record, behind only Japan, which defeated Taiwan 2-0 Saturday and finished with a 5-0 record.

"I want to thank the women for playing excellent baseball throughout the tournament," Taiwan's manager Huang Ming-huei (黃明輝) is quoted as saying by the WBSC.

"They played with their hearts, and I truly appreciate it. They have maintained high spirits and cohesion from the first day of the camp."

Coming into the bottom of the third 5-1 down, the Taiwan players rallied to score seven runs in the third inning and five runs in the fourth, before adding two more runs in the bottom of the sixth to finish the game early.

Huang added that he hopes there will be more women's tournaments in the future so that female players can play the sport they love, according to the WBSC website.

The finals will be held in Thunder Bay, Canada next year.