TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Venezuela defeated Taiwan 2-0 in the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Premier12 Super Round opener at the Tokyo Dome on Thursday (Nov. 21).

Starting pitcher Huang Tzu-peng (黃子鵬) allowed just one 2-run homer in 4.2 innings, per CNA. Relievers Wang Chih-hsuan (王志煊), Chuang Hsin-yen (莊昕諺) closed out the game without allowing any additional runs.

After the game, manager Tseng Hao-jiu (曾豪駒) said the team’s overall performance was satisfactory. “There might have been one mistake pitch, and we lacked some consistency and timely hitting. After this game we will continue to work hard for the next one,” he said.

Tseng said the main issue was Taiwan’s inability to capitalize on scoring opportunities in the fourth and fifth innings. They managed seven hits but failed to score and struck out 13 times.

Despite the loss, Tseng praised the pitching performance, noting that each pitcher successfully dealt with the pressure. “In the preliminary round, we could rely on our pitchers and today everyone completed their tasks,” he said.

Taiwan defeated Cuba 2-0 in the WBSC Premier12 Opening Round on Monday (Nov. 18) and will face the US on Friday.