Taiwan routs Singapore to advance at U-18 Asian Baseball Championship

Taipei, Sept. 10 (CNA) Taiwan secured a place in the super round of the U-18 Asian Baseball Championship with a 16-1 victory over Singapore in the final preliminary-round game Wednesday.

All nine members of Taiwan's starting lineup recorded at least one hit at Taipei Tianmu Baseball Stadium as the hosts improved to 2-1 and advanced as the second-place team in Group B behind unbeaten South Korea.

After two innings, Taiwan led 3-1, before breaking the game open with eight runs in the third inning. Hu Chen-jui (胡辰睿) then sparked a five-run fourth with an inside-the-park home run, giving Taiwan a 15-run advantage and ending the game early under the tournament's mercy rule.

Hu went 2-for-2 with three runs and four RBIs, while his team finished with 14 hits and committed no errors.

Starting pitcher Cheng Pin-shen (鄭品紳) allowed one run on two hits in one inning. Tsai Cheng-lung (蔡辰瀧) struck out five over two hitless innings to earn the win, while Wu Hao-siang (吳昊翔) pitched a hitless fourth.

Taiwan manager Yang Hsiao-cheng (楊孝承) said Cheng initially struggled to find his rhythm after going an extended period without appearing in a game.

Taiwan will face the Philippines on Friday before playing Japan on Saturday. Yang said Wu Chieh-jui (吳杰叡) is scheduled to start against the Philippines, while the starter against Japan will depend on Liu Jen-yu's (劉任右) recovery.

Taiwan, which won the previous edition in 2024, is seeking to claim consecutive titles for the first time and its fourth championship overall.