TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan defended its title in the 15th U-15 Asian Baseball Championship in Tainan on Saturday, defeating Japan 3-0.

Taiwan’s starting pitcher Ko Shao-chieh (柯邵捷) delivered seven shutout innings, scattering four hits on 82 pitches, per UDN. He escaped a bases-loaded jam in the first inning before settling down and gaining confidence as the game progressed.

After the game, Ko admitted to feeling shaky at first. He said he needed “to trust my teammates to play defense and let the batters make contact.”

Taiwan’s offense struggled early, failing to capitalize on a chance in the fourth inning. In the sixth, with two outs, a walk and a single set up Chen Bo-yu (陳泊佑), who hit a clutch triple to drive in two runs. Taiwan added an insurance run in the seventh with three more hits.

The victory followed an opening loss to South Korea but secured both Taiwan and Japan a place in next year’s U15 Baseball World Cup in Italy.

Taiwan manager Chiu Yao-yu (邱耀宇) said the pressure was immense, though home advantage made a difference. “After two months of training, we have made all the necessary preparations, and this group of young players has made tremendous progress,” he said.

Taiwan has now won a record eight U-15 Asian Baseball Championships and reached the final in every edition of the tournament since it began in 2000.