Taiwan’s U12 baseball team came up short in their bid for a medal at the U12 Baseball World Cup. In a hard-fought bronze medal game, Taiwan fell 0-2 to South Korea, ending their hopes of reaching the podium for the first time in the tournament’s history.The U12 Baseball World Cup was held at the Asia-Pacific International Baseball Training Center in Tainan.
The facility hosted two games simultaneously starting in the morning, showcasing some of the world’s top youth talent. While Taiwan battled South Korea on one field, the United States cruised to a 7-1 victory over Japan on the adjacent field, clinching their third straight championship and sixth overall title in the tournament.
This bronze medal game was actually the second meeting between Taiwan’s U12 baseball team and South Korea within two days. The previous match saw Taiwan triumph in an exciting nine-inning contest, winning 11-5. Normally, U12 games are six innings, but extra innings were allowed during the “super round” to finalize seeding. For the bronze medal match, Taiwan started pitcher Zhong Ding-xu. He pitched effectively through the first two innings, retiring six batters in a row.
However, South Korea managed to break through in the third inning with three hits and a run. Taiwan brought in reliever Hsieh Cheng-chun to take over the mound. Though he pitched well overall, he gave up a double and a single in the fifth inning, allowing another run to score.
South Korea’s pitcher Kwon Yun-seo delivered a dominant complete-game shutout. Despite Taiwan’s early opportunities, including back-to-back singles in the first inning, they could not capitalize with runs. Further chances arose in the third and fourth innings when Taiwan had runners in scoring position, but they failed to bring those runners home. This loss is a major setback for Taiwan’s U12 baseball program. For the first time in eight editions of the U12 Baseball World Cup, Taiwan leaves without a medal.
Meanwhile, South Korea celebrates its first-ever medal in this prestigious youth baseball tournament. The United States continues to assert its dominance, adding yet another championship to their record.Taiwan’s U12 baseball team fought hard, but South Korea’s pitching and timely hitting proved decisive in securing the bronze. The tournament showed the growing competitiveness of youth baseball in Asia and beyond. For Taiwan, this year’s experience will fuel their desire to come back stronger in future international competitions.
