TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Team Taiwan defeated Cuba 2-0 on Monday (Nov. 18) in the final game of the WBSC Premier12 Opening Round in front of 30,934 fans at Taipei Dome, after already earning a spot in the Super Round in Tokyo.
Taiwan managed its first hit off Cuba’s starting pitcher Yoennis Yera in the bottom of the third. Yera walked Yueh Tung-hua (岳東華), and after two outs, Giljegjaw Kung-kuan's (吉力吉撈 鞏冠) double scored the first run.
In the fourth, Tseng Song-en (曾頌恩) was walked, then Pan Chieh-Kai (潘傑楷) and Dai Pei-Feng (戴培峰) both hit singles. With the bases loaded, Chang Cheng-Yu's (張政禹) grounder brought in a second run.
Pitcher Huang Tzu-peng (黃子鵬), known for his low-sidearm delivery, started the game strong. He pitched 1 and 1/3 innings with four strikeouts. The relievers after Huang only allowed four hits.
Taiwan will leave for the Super Round in Tokyo on Tuesday and face off against the US, Japan, and Venezuela starting Thursday. This is the first time Taiwan has reached the Super Round.