BASEBALL/Taiwan roasts Colombia at U23 Baseball World Cup

Taipei, Sept. 12 (CNA) Team Taiwan routed Colombia 10-0 on Thursday in the first placement round game at the 2024 U23 Baseball World Cup in Zhejiang province, China.

Team Taiwan secured the shutout win at the Shaoxing Baseball and Softball Sports Culture Center, thanks in part to Huang Zi-hao's (黃子豪) dominance on the mound.

In his first outing at the tournament, the 19-year-old right-handed pitcher struck out four, scattered four hits, and walked one over five innings, giving the team a 4-0 lead before he retired.

The lead was maintained by Chen Pin-hong (陳品宏) and Yin Po-huai (尹柏淮), who tossed one scoreless inning apiece before the team poured in six runs to make the game a no-doubter.

Colombian starting pitcher Jose Gabriel Garces Villa struggled with control in the opening frame and was soon pulled after loading the bases with two hit batters and two walks, though leadoff hitter Liu Chun-wei (劉俊緯) was caught stealing third base.

Lin Chia-wei (林佳緯) put the team on the board with a bases-loaded walk, but Team Taiwan failed to extend the lead further until it scored three more insurance runs at the top of the fifth inning.

The team's performance at the plate was highlighted by 19-year-old Wang Nien-hao (王念好), the 2023 Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) overall first pick by the Fubon Guardians.

The young phenom collected three hits in four at-bats, including a two-RBI double in the fifth inning.

After finishing 2-3 in the opening round in Group B, Team Taiwan no longer has a chance to vie for a medal. However, it will compete against Australia on Friday and the United Kingdom on Saturday in a bid to secure a seventh-place finish.