South Korea lost to Chinese Taipei 4-0 for its first defeat in the Asian Games baseball tournament in China on Monday, as its bid for the fourth consecutive gold medal took an early stumble.
South Korea managed just four hits against Chinese Taipei starter Lin Yu-Min, while Chinese Taipei eked out just enough offense for its second straight win in Group B of the second round at Shaoxing Baseball and Softball Sports Centre in Shaoxing, southeast of the main host city, Hangzhou.
South Korean starter Moon Dong-ju allowed the first two Chinese Taipei runs, while reliever Go Woo-suk served up the other two in the eighth that sealed South Korea's fate.
Chinese Taipei moved to the top of Group B with two wins, while South Korea is now in second place at 1-1. South Korea will close out the preliminary stage against Thailand, with the first pitch at noon Tuesday.
Managed by Ryu Joong-il, South Korea is still not in danger regarding advancing to the Super Round, open to the top two teams from each of the two groups. But the loss on Monday means South Korea is taking a built-in loss into that next stage, where it will likely play Japan and China from Group A.
The top two teams after Super Round action -- with teams each playing opponents from the other group -- will meet in the gold medal game.
Source: Yonhap News Agency