Tainan: Taiwan finished in fourth place at the biennial U-12 Baseball World Cup after a 0-2 defeat to South Korea in the third-place playoff held at the Asia Pacific International Baseball Complex. This result marked the end of Taiwan’s campaign in the 2025 edition of the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) championships.

According to Focus Taiwan, both teams displayed strong defensive performances early in the game, with neither side managing to score in the initial two innings. Taiwan’s pitcher, Zhong Ding-xu, made an impressive start by striking out the first three South Korean batters and maintained his form into the second inning. However, the deadlock was broken in the third inning when South Korean infielder Kang Giung scored the first run, putting his team ahead.

Taiwan struggled to level the score, missing opportunities to score in the bottom of the third inning and subsequent innings. South Korea sealed their victory with a second run by catcher Min Donghyeon, who scored in the fifth inning on an RBI from outfielder Ha Jeongwoo. This result was a stark contrast to the previous day’s game, where Taiwan had secured an 11-5 win over South Korea in an extended nine-inning match.

In that Saturday encounter, Taiwan had initially taken the lead in the eighth inning, only for South Korea to catch up. Taiwan eventually secured the win with a strong performance in the ninth inning. However, Taiwan’s manager Chang Tzu-chien faced a one-game suspension for violating pitching regulations, as reliever Huang Yu-qian, who had exceeded pitch limits on Thursday, was fielded again on Saturday.

This Sunday’s loss marks the first time Taiwan has not finished in the top three of the U-12 World Cup since the tournament’s inception in 2011. Meanwhile, the victory was historic for South Korea, as it marked their first entry into the top three of the competition. In the final, the United States emerged victorious, defending their title with a 7-1 win over Japan. Taiwan’s past encounters with the U.S. have often ended in defeat, including the 2023 final and previous championship rounds. Taiwan has won the U-12 Baseball World Cup twice, in 2011 and 2019.