Chinese Taipei’s impressive run continues with the bronze medal as they have now won a medal in every WBSC tournament in 2022. They came in second place at the WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup and third place at the U-12, U-15, and U-23 Baseball World Cups before winning the bronze medal in each of those tournaments.
On Saturday, Chinese Taipei defeated Venezuela 2-0 (9-2; 2-0) in a tense WBSC Baseball5 World Cup 2022 bronze medal game at El Zocalo in Mexico City. With the win, Chinese Taipei became the first team in history to win a medal in the WBSC Baseball5 World Cup.
Both sides displayed astonishing ball skills, speed, and hand-eye coordination as they were roared on by an enthusiastic crowd. The match was filled with a lot of excitement and skill. The crowd in one corner was cheering for Venezuela, and the crowd in the other corner was cheering for Chinese Taipei. When the bell rang, the players put on a fantastic display.
Chinese Taipei had superior individual numbers going into the game such as runs scored 93 to 66 but not in terms of number of games won (TPE 5 out of 8, VEN 6 out of 8), and this contest shaped up to be another nail-biter. This match took place during the Opening Round on Day Two of the tournament and was won by Venezuela 2-1 (2-0; 2-4; 5-3).
Yu-Hao Tu was able to reach base safely on the very first play of the game, and he advanced to second place after Yohelis Colina made an errant throw to first base.
Chi-Ting-Hua Shih drove in Tu and Chun Chiu, giving Chinese Taipei a 2-0 lead with no outs remaining in the first inning
Before Esquia Rengel scored for Venezuela in the bottom of the second inning courtesy to a magnificent drop shot to tie the game at 2-1, Venezuela’s defense became more resolute, allowing them to finish the inning without allowing another run. Her next contribution came in the form of a fantastic hit from Rengel, which allowed Alvaro Gil to score and tied the score at 2-2.
It was difficult to differentiate between the two sides until Tu scored in the top of the fourth due to a triple by Shih, and then Shih scored himself to put Chinese Taipei back in the lead with a score of 4-2. Then, Chinese Taipei turned it on in the fifth inning with bases loaded, as Shih, Chi Lin, Chiu, and Chieh-Yu Lin all scored to increase the advantage to 8-4. Then, Shih scored again to put the icing on the cake, and Chinese Taipei won the opening match 9-2.
The second match started just as intensely as the first, with both teams playing great defense, but Chinese Taipei began to edge ahead thanks to goals scored by Chieh-Yu Lin and Tu in the top of the third, giving them a 2-0 lead. A fantastic throw from Chieh-Yu Lin at second base to Shih at home plate to tag Luis Marques effectively deflated Venezuela’s attempts to get back in the game. Venezuela’s efforts to get back in the game were deflated. The incredible defensive play from the Asian champions rendered even the crowd speechless.
In the bottom of the fifth inning, Venezuela had started to get a little momentum with two runs on before Valerie Torres was out at first by Chi Lin, which sparked massive celebrations. Chi Lin got the final out by getting Valerie Torres to ground out to first.
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