II 12U Baseball World Cup: USA v Chinese Taipei for World Title

TAIPEI CITY (TPE) - Defending champion Chinese Taipei and USA will meet Sunday in the gold medal matchup of the 2nd 12U Baseball World Cup, which is officially sanctioned by the international baseball world governing body.The 14-nation 12U (12 and under) Baseball World Cup is the only world championship across all sports in this youth category. Team USA (7-1), competing for the first time in the 12U BWC, used a grand slam by Spring Hill, Florida's Colton Olasin to sail away from the previously undefeated Japan 9-1 and earn a spot in the gold medal game.

Today's semifinal matchup was the first time in history that the national teams of Japan and USA squared off against each other at the 12U level. 

Chinese Taipei (7-1), which defeated Cuba for gold in the inaugural 12U BWC in 2011, advanced to the gold medal game by using the near perfect pitching performance of Chen Po-Chun, who racked up 10 strike outs and allowed only 2 hits against the dangerous Venezuela offense en route to the 8-0 semifinal shutout victory.

A sellout crowd of over 10,000 is expected to pack Tien-Mou Stadium in Taipei City for the Gold Medal finale. The start of the game is slated for Sunday, July 28 at 14:00 local time.

The Japan (7-1) and Venezuela (7-1) national teams will meet Sunday at 10:00 local time in the Bronze Medal game.  

Sunday's world championship game will be broadcast and streamed online "live" locally.

The staging of the 12U BWC comes ahead of the September 8th vote by the International Olympic Committee in September on whether to include baseball and softball in 2020 Olympic Games.

The 12U BWC is part of a global strategy to continue to internationalize baseball and softball and allow more boys and girls the opportunity to participate in sport - to benefit, socialize and learn respect and fair play from sport and to seek an active and healthy lifestyle.

Together, baseball and softball are played in more than 140 countries and comprise one of the largest youth bases of athletes in the sporting world.

A total number of 65 million athletes of all ages worldwide play baseball and/or softball at various levels.

If included in the 2020 Olympics and eventual Youth Olympic Games, softball and baseball would be unlike any other sport on the Olympic Programme, bringing new and unique sporting skills and qualities to Olympic fans and viewers as the only bat and ball sport at the Games, helping to balance and diversify the Olympic programme and Olympic Games experience, as well as tapping into one of the largest pools of young boy and girl athletes.

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USA 9, JPN 1: Box score; TPE 8, VEN 0:  Box score

To follow the Gold Medal matchup "live" with Gametracker, click here. 

For more information and complete tournament results, visit: www.12uBaseballWorldCup.org

12U Baseball World Cup International rules:

• Leads on bases are permitted

• Off-speed pitches (i.e., curveballs, change-ups, etc.) are permitted