Taiwan advanced to the semifinals of the World Games women’s softball tournament after defeating Italy 4-1 in their final round-robin group match in Birmingham, Alabama Monday.

Following a 9-4 upset win against Canada and 0-7 defeat to the United States over the weekend, Taiwan secured second place in the four-team group with a 2-1 record thanks to a dominant performance from 19-year-old pitcher Ke Hsia-ai (???).

Ke let up only one run and five hits over seven innings against Italy, recording eight strikeouts and no walks as she threw a complete game.

On the offensive side, Taiwan jumped to an early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning, with leadoff hitter Yang Yi-ting (???) reaching base on an error before scoring on an RBI single to right field.

While Italy managed to pull the game even in the top of the third, Taiwan responded in the bottom half of the inning with a two-RBI single by designated hitter Chen Chia-yi (???) to pull ahead 3-1.

Taiwan added another run in the bottom of the sixth to go up 4-1, giving Ke a comfortable three-run margin to close out the game.

With the victory, Taiwan will now move into the semifinals, where it will meet an undefeated Japan in a single-elimination matchup on Tuesday.

The winner of that match will face off against either the United States or Australia in the tournament’s final on Wednesday.

The quadrennial World Games, held this year in Birmingham, Alabama from July 7-17, is an international multisport event comprising sports that are not included in the Olympic Games.

Taiwan has previously won two silver medals in the women’s softball event, in 1985 and 2009.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel