Chinese Taipei headed back to Pony League World Series final
Katie Roupe/Observer-Reporter Los Mochis, MexicoþÄôs Rigoberto Borbolla tags out Chinese, TaipeiþÄôs Lin, Tzu-Wei when he was stuck between first and second base during Tuesday nightþÄôs game.
Los Mochis, Mexico’s David Espinoza reacts after striking out against Chinese Taipei during the fourth inning of Tuesday night’s Pony League World Series game at Washington Park. Chinese Taipei advanced to the finals with the win.
Katie Roupe/Observer-Reporter Los Mochis, MexicoþÄôs Jair Felix slides safely into second base as Chinese TaipeiþÄôs Ho, Heng-Yu misses a pass in the top of the third inning on Tuesday nightþÄôs game.
Defending Pony League World Series champion Chinese Taipei entered this year’s tournament with an earned reputation for success.
Though the players differ this year from last, the defending champions picked up right where they left off, outscoring opponents 15-0 in their first two games of the tournament at Lew Hays Pony Field.
Against such a solid force, opposing teams would need compete at full strength to even have the ability to give the Asia Zone champions a challenge.
Sometimes even that wasn’t enough.
The team from Los Mochis, Mexico, knew the extent of the challenge, having suffered its first loss to Chinese Taipei 5-0 on Saturday.
But the Mexico Zone champions didn’t have the luxury of rest the second time around after defeating Chesterfield, Va., 11-7, in an elimination game Tuesday morning before a rematch with Chinese Taipei later in the day,
Despite scoring the first runs in this tournament against Chinese Taipei, Los Mochis couldn’t limit the defending champions on the scoreboard and lost, 9-2, in a semifinal game.
“After the win this morning, we were excited to face the champions again,” said Eduardo Felix, Mexico’s manager, through an interpreter. “We gave it everything we had. I’ve very proud of our players.”
Chinese Taipei advances tonight’s finals, where it will attempt to become the first back-to-back winner of this tournament since Seoul, Korea did so in 1988 and 1989.
Though Felix said players were tired after playing earlier in the day, at first, the quick turnaround didn’t appear to phase the visitors, who kept Chinese Taipei contained in the opening innings even when Los Mochis made mistakes in the field and despite a 30-minute rain delay.
Chinese Taipei scored a pair of runs in the first, including one on a rundown and delayed steal, but Mexico responded with a run of its own in the second when Kai Huang’s throwout attempt of Rigoberto Borbolla went wide and ennded up in center field, allowing Jair Felix to score the first run against the Asia-Pacific Zone champions in this tournament.
“We just couldn’t hit (Campos’) pitches at first,” said Chinese Taipei manager Shih Teng Chiu through an interpreter. “After the first round batting, batting felt familiar with his pitches so we were telling players what kind of pitch to look for and it worked.”
By the time Los Mochis added a second run in the top of the fifth, the hole had already doubled in size.
Chen Hsun hit a homer off Campos over the right field fence to make the score 4-1 in the third. He and his teammates scored continued to build the lead in each of the following innings, and relief pitcher Tzu Wei Lin silenced the Mexican bats, allowing an unearned run of just three hits from the third inning through the sixth, to close the game out.
“Winning the final, that’s something we always expect ou team to achieve,” Chiu said. “Coming all the way from Taiwan to here, playing in the zone tournament and preparing for this tournament for the past half a year, that’s a lot of work.”
Maui, Hawii 19, Bay County, Mich. 3: Kaipo Haole homered and drove in five runs as Maui, Hawaii pounded out 19 hits and defeated Bay County, Mich., 19-3, to advance to the championship game of the Pony League World Series.
Cade Kalehua and Kapunahouohau’oli both also homered as the West Zone champions advanced to the championship game, where it will face defending champion Chinese Taipei.
Kalehua and Micah Kele had four hits each for Maui.
Carson Kwapiszewski and Logan Hupo had two hits each for Bay County.