BASEBALL/Taiwan wins regional baseball tournaments, spots in LLB, JLB World Series

Seoul, South Korea, July 3 (CNA) Two teams of young Taiwanese baseball players won regional tournaments in Seoul Thursday and will now represent the Asia-Pacific in the annual World Series of the Little League Baseball (LLB) and the Junior League Baseball (JLB) competitions in the United States in August.

In the LLB tournament, the Taiwanese team with players from Dong Yuan Elementary School in Taipei faced the only team they lost to in the opening round -- South Korea -- in the final.

Despite losing 5-4 in the opening round, Taiwan won Thursday's game 2-0 to clinch its fourth regional championship title in a row, and the first for Dong Yuan since it last played in the World Series in 2015, according to the Taiwan Little League Baseball Association.

Taiwan dominated LLB tournaments from 1977-1991, winning eight of the 13 World Series tiles, and finished runner-up twice.

In 2024, a team from Taoyuan reached the final of the World Series, but lost to a U.S. team from Florida 2-1.

The LLB World Series will take place in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, from Aug. 13-24.

Meanwhile, the Taiwanese team competing in the JLB tournament in Seoul overpowered the Philippines to win the regional championship title game 7-0.

Taiwan's JLB team was mainly composed of players from Chung Shan Junior High School in Taichung, and they will compete in the JLB World Series held in Taylor, Michigan, from Aug. 3-10.

Taiwan is the defending champion in the JLB World Series tournament and has won 10 of the 13 World Series titles since the country first competed in the 2010 edition.

Chung Shan Junior High won three of the 10 titles -- in 2014, 2015 and 2022.

The school in Taichung won the 2025 PONY International Asia-Pacific Zone U13 and U14 Championship in Indonesia last week, and will compete in the Pony League World Series for the 13- and 14-year-old age division in Washington, Pennsylvania from Aug. 8-13 with a slightly different line-up.