BASEBALL/Taiwan beats Australia 11-3 to advance to Premier12 Super Round

Taipei, Nov. 17 (CNA) Taiwan scored two three-run homers in an 11-3 blowout win over Australia at the Taipei Dome Sunday to advance to the Super Round of the 2024 World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Premier12 tournament.

Fresh off a defeat at the hands of defending Premier12 champion and Group B winner Japan the previous day, Taiwan's offense came out slugging against Australia from the off.

After taking a walk to first base, Taiwan's Chen Chieh-hsien (陳傑憲) then stole second before Tseng Song-en (曾頌恩) drew a walk to first in the top of the first inning.

Chen then scored on an RBI from Pan Chieh-kai (潘傑楷) to put Taiwan ahead 1-0.

Taiwan made it 2-0 in the top of the second after Li Kai-wei (李凱威) made it home on an RBI from Lin Li (林立).

However, Australia's Solomon Maguire scored the game's first home run with no one on to reduce the deficit to 2-1 in the bottom of the third.

Taiwan managed to keep Australia scoreless through the next four innings while adding two runs at the top of the fourth and one at the top of the fifth to take a 5-1 lead going into the seventh.

In the top of the seventh, Taiwan loaded the first and second bases with Chen Chen-wei (陳晨威) and Chang Cheng-yu (張政禹) with one out.

Lin then took the box as Taiwan's fourth batter of the inning and after enduring one foul ball at the hands of Australian pitcher Blake Townsend, sent a ball flying for a three-run homer to bump the score to 8-1 in favor of Taiwan.

Taiwan's advantage seemed to fire up Australia as Robbie Perkins sent a one-run homer over the fence at the bottom of the seventh.

In the top of the ninth, Taiwan cranked up the heat to lead 11-2 after pinch hitter Giljegiljaw Kungkuan fired a home run to deep left field with two men on.

Despite playing its best baseball of the night, occupying third base twice, Australia was only able to pull back a single run in the final inning.

With Sunday's win, Taiwan finished second in Group B and secured a place in the Premier12's Super Round alongside group winners Japan, as well as the top two teams from Group A, the United States and Venezuela.

Taiwan's best finish at the WBSC Premier12, which brings together the world's 12 best national teams, was at the second edition of the tournament in 2019, when it finished fifth place.