BASEBALL/Taiwan earns spot to contend for Little League World Series title

Williamsport, U.S., Aug. 24 (CNA) Guishan Elementary School from Taoyuan, Taiwan, has secured its place in the Little League Baseball World Series final after defeating Venezuela 4-1 in the international title game held in the United States.

Saturday's victory marked the fifth win for the Taiwanese team, which is representing the Asia-Pacific region in the international bracket of the tournament hosted in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania.

It is also Taiwan's first opportunity in 19 years to contend for the Little League Baseball World Series championship title, said Ting Po-chiang (丁伯強), principal of the Taoyuan school, whose name was listed as "Kuei-Shan" on the tournament's website.

The Taiwanese team was crowned international champions after eliminating rivals from Canada, Australia, Cuba, Japan and Venezuela during the 12-day tournament.

Taiwan finished third in both 2022 and 2023.

During Saturday's game, Taiwanese pitcher Lai Cheng-xi (賴承希) allowed only three hits over 5 1/3 innings. The Taiwanese team scored its first run, capitalizing on three hits during the first inning.

In the third inning, the Taiwanese team scored twice on wild pitches. The team then scored again in the fifth inning, taking advantage of a mistake by the Venezuelan team.

"It's so exciting today, it's wonderful," said Chen Wen-hsiang (陳文祥), one of the parents who traveled to the U.S. to cheer on the young players during the tournament for children aged 10-12.

"The past two weeks have been like a carnival. We are very impressed. I believe the children have learned a lot, and the parents have felt the enthusiasm for baseball held by people and players in the U.S. and other countries," he said.

Taiwan will face U.S. champions Florida in Sunday's final.