Taiwan team advances to Little League Baseball int'l championship game

Taipei, Aug. 21 (CNA) An elementary school baseball team from Taiwan advanced to the international championship game of the 2025 Little League Baseball World Series following a 7-3 win against Venezuela in Pennsylvania on Wednesday.

Taipei Dong Yuan Elementary School, competing as the Asia-Pacific representative, will play for a spot in the World Series Championship Game on Saturday.

The tournament uses a double-elimination format, giving Venezuela a second chance. Venezuela and Aruba, the Caribbean representative, will meet in the elimination bracket final on Thursday for the right to face Dong Yuan.

Dong Yuan, which earned its first tournament berth in a decade this July, won its only World Series title in 1972.

Dong Yuan jumped ahead early, scoring twice on bases-loaded walks with two outs in the first inning, then added another run the same way in the fourth to make it 3-0.

The Taiwan team's big inning came in the top of the fifth, when Chen Qi-sheng (陳啟盛) ripped a three-RBI double to left field, propelling Dong Yuan to a 7-0 lead. Venezuela answered with three runs in the bottom half, but it wasn't enough.

Chen, who had two hits and a walk, also closed out the game by striking out two over the final 1 2/3 innings.

The Little League Baseball World Series is held every summer in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Half of the teams come from the United States, with the other half from around the world.

Teams from Taiwan have won 17 titles, second to the U.S., with its last one dating back to 1996.