TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan decisively defeated China in the semifinals of the U-12 Asian Baseball Championship on Wednesday (Nov. 27). 

Hot off the heels of the men's WBSC Premier12 championship win, Taiwan’s under-12 players dominated China with a 16-0 victory, ending the game early in the fourth inning due to the mercy rule, per SET News.

The 11th U-12 Asian Baseball Championship is being held in Matsuyama, Japan. Taiwan’s team won their opening game against Thailand by a wide margin of 24-0. 

In their next game against Hong Kong, Taiwan maintained a strong offensive output in every inning, winning 11-0 in five innings, and securing two straight victories in the preliminary round.

However, in their game against South Korea, Taiwan’s offense was stymied, managing only two hits and failing to score. In the bottom of the sixth inning, with two outs, South Korea hit a walk-off solo home run, and Taiwan lost 0-1. 

Despite this setback, Taiwan advanced to the semifinals with a 2-1 record, finishing second in its group.

In the first game of the semifinals Wednesday, Taiwan faced off against China. Taiwan quickly took control, scoring 8 runs in the bottom of the first inning and another 8 in the bottom of the third. 

After their pitchers shut China out for four innings, Taiwan was declared the winner due to the mercy rule. Thursday's game against Japan will determine if they can make it to the finals.