Taichung’s Chung Shan Junior High School captured the 2022 Junior League Baseball World Series championship after defeating the Oil Belt Junior League baseball team, from Corpus Christi, Texas 7-1 in Michigan Sunday.

Representing the Asia Pacific Region, the Taichung side became the eighth team from Taiwan to win the Junior League Baseball World Series.

The tournament, which sees teams of players aged between 12-14, was not held in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Whether it’s a hot day or cold winter day, they’re always there for practice on the training field. We believe we can fly,” Chung Shan Junior High School said in a Facebook post congratulating the team.

Chung Shan booked a 5-0 record and hit 61 runs en route to the championship, and Lan Wen-chuan (???), Chung Shan’s head coach, told CNA in a post-game interview that education, morality, and on-field behavior were key to their success.

After an hour-long rain delay, Chung Shan opened up with two runs in the first inning and another in the second to establish a 3-0 lead.

However, the Taiwan team gave up one run in the top of the fourth inning as a hit sent an Oil Belt player on second base back to the home plate, nixing hopes of a shutout.

Chung Shan quickly regained its three-point lead in the bottom of the fourth and put three more runs on the board in the fifth before closing out the game with two final scoreless innings.

Chung Shan pitcher Fang Shao-chi (???) recorded eight strikeouts across seven innings, giving up only six hits and one run, closing the game with 94 pitches.

Fang was also a commanding presence at the plate throughout the tournament as he knocked out 14 hits, including two home runs, over 21 plate appearances in the five games.

The 2022 Junior League Baseball World Series was held Aug. 14-21 with 12 representative teams from six U.S. regions and six international regions.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel