New Taipei City Wins Hwa Nan Cup Youth Baseball Tournament, Secures Spot for Asian Championship

In the final of the Hwa Nan Cup Youth Baseball Tournament, the New Taipei City team showed resilience. In the top of the 7th inning of extra time, Li Yu-ju hit a bases-clearing double to take the lead, ultimately defeating Taoyuan City 10-7. This victory marks their first title in five years and grants them the right to organize the Taiwan team for this year's Asian Youth Baseball Championship. The final of the 115th Hwa Nan Cup saw New Taipei City face off against Taoyuan City. After five innings, New Taipei City trailed 5-6, but in the top of the 6th, they tied the game through consecutive hits, stolen bases, and errors. Taoyuan City failed to score in the bottom of the 6th, leaving the game tied 6-6 after regulation. In the tie-breaker 7th inning, Liu Yu-wei hit a single to advance, and Li Yu-ju hit a bases-clearing double, driving in 3 runs. They added another run through subsequent hits to reach 10. New Taipei City's relief pitcher, Chung Yu-cheng, took the mound in the 5th inning and showed dominance. Despite giving up one run on a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 7th, he stabilized to secure the win. He pitched 3 innings on 37 pitches, allowing 3 hits, 1 strikeout, 1 hit-by-pitch, and 1 unearned run. Li Yu-ju, with 2 hits and 4 RBIs, was named the tournament's MVP and RBI leader. New Taipei City won the Hwa Nan Cup for the first time since 2021, and Dai Han-chao will serve as the head coach for the Asian Championship team.