Taipei: Taiwan lost 2-0 to South Korea in its opening game of the BFA U18 Asian Baseball Championship on Monday as its offense struggled, wasting a strong start by left-hander Liu Jen-yu. According to Focus Taiwan, Taiwan, aiming for its second consecutive Asian U18 title and fourth overall, managed only three hits against the Koreans at Tianmu Baseball Stadium. Each of its nine starters struck out at least once, as the team fanned 14 times in total. A two-out triple in the first inning and a single in the seventh by Chang Yi-an, along with a single by Hu Chen-jui with two outs in the sixth, were the only offensive highlights for Taiwan. Liu Jen-yu delivered a commendable performance, keeping his team in the game with five scoreless innings, striking out six, and issuing two walks while throwing 69 pitches. The teenager's fastball reached 154 kilometers per hour, matching his career high, as noted by scouts at the venue. Liu faced his only significant challenge in the third inning when a leadoff walk and a fielding error put two runners on with one out, but he managed to escape the situation by inducing an inning-ending double play. The breakthrough for South Korea came against Taiwan's bullpen in the sixth inning. Nam Hyeonu singled off reliever Wu Hao-siang, and Cho Huiseong followed with a one-out double. Chen Yu-hsun relieved Wu but allowed one run on a fielder's choice and another on a sacrifice fly, resulting in Wu being charged with the loss. South Korean starter Ha Hyunseung was formidable on the mound, striking out 12 and allowing only two hits over 5.2 scoreless innings to secure the win. Reliever Eom Junsang completed the game by recording the final four outs in the regulation seven-inning game, striking out two to notch the save. Looking ahead, Taiwan is set to compete against Thailand and Singapore on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively, at Tianmu Baseball Stadium.