Hua Nan Financial Cup Youth Baseball: Hsiao Po-en hits leadoff home run to lead Taoyuan to victory

The Hua Nan Financial Cup National Youth Baseball Tournament kicked off today. Taoyuan City faced New Taipei City in their first game, with their offense clicking. Hsiao Po-en hit a leadoff home run and recorded 4 hits and 2 RBIs, while Li Hsing-ting also hit a home run and contributed 4 RBIs, leading Taoyuan to a 14-2 victory in five innings. The 115th Hua Nan Financial Cup National Youth Baseball Championship serves as the national team selection tournament for this year's Asian Youth Baseball Championship and began today at the Asia-Pacific International Baseball Training Center in Tainan. Taoyuan City played New Taipei City in the opener. New Taipei City scored 2 runs early, but Taoyuan City rallied in the bottom of the first inning, racking up 10 hits in the inning, including a leadoff home run by Hsiao Po-en and a 3-run homer by Li Hsing-ting. They sent 16 batters to the plate and scored 12 runs to secure the win. Taoyuan added one run each in the second and third innings to cruise to victory. Hsiao Po-en had 4 hits in 4 at-bats today, including a leadoff home run, and added hits in the first, second, and fourth innings. Cleanup hitter Li Hsing-ting also had 2 hits and 4 RBIs, showing great performance at the plate. Taoyuan City head coach Li Kuo-chiang said he was confident in the team's hitting, noting that even though they were trailing early, he believed the players could come back. Leadoff hitter Hsiao Po-en, who is 173 cm tall and from Long-An Elementary School, said he felt more aggressive after the team fell behind. It was his 19th career home run. "I felt like it might be caught because I slightly mis-hit it, so I was surprised when it cleared the fence," he said. Coach Li called Hsiao a key player, praising his physical condition, explosive power, and speed. He had been working to build Hsiao's confidence during training. Hsiao joined the baseball team in the summer before fourth grade and has always been a leadoff hitter. He hopes to leverage his speed and high on-base percentage. While he likes both pitching and hitting, he is more confident in his hitting. As a fielder, his arm strength and speed in center field are his advantages, and he hopes to emulate his idol, CTBC Brothers outfielder Sung Sheng-jui, by covering a wide defensive range.