Taiwan Beats Mexico to Reach Dakar Baseball5 Final Against Cuba

A deciding set sends Taiwan into the gold medal match

Taiwan defeated Mexico 12-2, 2-8, 7-2 in the baseball5 semifinals at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games, setting up a gold medal match against Cuba on Tuesday, November 3. The victory puts the team competing as Chinese Taipei within one win of the first Youth Olympic baseball5 title.

The world No. 2 team needed all three sets at Tour de l'Oeuf in Dakar, Senegal. After Mexico recovered from a heavy opening defeat to level the match, Taiwan fell two runs behind in the deciding set before scoring five in the bottom of the second inning and two more in the fourth.

Hsu Tzu-Yi scored five runs across the semifinal, including three in the deciding set, according to the World Baseball Softball Confederation's semifinal account. Those contributions helped turn an uncertain finish into a 7-2 victory and a place in the final.

Cuba, ranked No. 1 and the senior world champion, reached the final by beating Kenya 14-7, 11-1. The championship match will bring together the world's two highest ranked teams for their second meeting of the tournament, after Taiwan won their group encounter 5-3, 5-4.

Taiwan player Hsu described the satisfaction of getting through a semifinal that required the team to recover after losing the second set:

I think we have achieved our objective. We have done everything possible to win this game, and we are very happy to have reached the final.

The gold medal match will take place at the same venue as the semifinals. Kenya and Mexico will contest the bronze medal match beforehand.

How Taiwan recovered against Mexico

Taiwan began the semifinal with aggressive attacking play and running between bases, scoring 12 runs in the first two innings of the opening set. The WBSC records the final score as 12-2; an initial match description gave 12-0.

Mexico responded by winning the second set 8-2. That result erased Taiwan's advantage in the match, because the winner was determined by sets won rather than by adding together every run scored.

A set is a separate game within the contest. In this semifinal, the first team to win two sets advanced. Taiwan's large opening victory therefore counted as one set, just as Mexico's six run victory in the second counted as one.

Mexico then scored the first two runs of the deciding set. Taiwan answered with five in the bottom of the second inning, moving from 2-0 behind to 5-2 ahead, before adding two insurance runs in the fourth. Mexico did not score again.

Taiwan finished with 21 runs across the three sets to Mexico's 12. The decisive stretch, however, was the seven unanswered runs in the final set, when a place in the gold medal match was at stake.

Trust helped the team through the pressure

Chen Wan-Zih pointed to confidence in teammates as a reason Taiwan survived the difficult passages against Mexico. Her comments connected the semifinal recovery with a theme players had already discussed during the group stage: staying together when an opponent puts them under pressure.

Chen, a Taiwan player who also took part in the 2025 Youth Baseball5 World Cup, explained that approach in the Olympic Information Service's postmatch account:

You have to believe in yourself and your teammates. I felt confident even in the difficult moments of the game and we made it through.

Mexico had given Taiwan two such moments: an emphatic second set defeat and an early deficit in the third. Taiwan's response was to rebuild its lead through scoring and then keep Mexico from adding another run.

The earlier Cuba victory changed the tournament

Taiwan entered the final with a breakthrough already secured. On November 1, the Asian champion defeated Cuba 5-3, 5-4 to finish first in Group A and advance directly to the semifinals.

The WBSC's group stage assessment described that result as Cuba's first defeat in WBSC or Olympic baseball5 competition at either senior or youth level. Taiwan also received the federation's Team of the Day recognition for a second consecutive day.

The result carried particular weight because Cuba had beaten Taiwan in the final of the 2025 Youth Baseball5 World Cup. This time, Taiwan won both sets, ending a run of defeats against the same opponent and taking the shorter route into the medal rounds. Cuba had to continue through the quarterfinals.

Taiwan had already beaten host Senegal and Türkiye before facing Cuba. The following sequence took the team from the group stage to the championship match:

• Before November 1: Taiwan defeated Senegal and Türkiye in group play.
• November 1: Taiwan beat Cuba 5-3, 5-4, finishing first in Group A and advancing directly to the semifinals.
• November 2: Taiwan defeated Mexico in three sets, while Cuba beat Kenya in two.
• November 3: Kenya faces Mexico for bronze before Taiwan meets Cuba for gold.

The official schedule descriptions identify Tuesday as the day of the final but give no exact starting time. For viewers in Taiwan, the championship match was described as taking place in the early hours of the following morning.

Speed and defence made the difference against Cuba

Taiwan's group victory required comebacks, concentrated scoring and important defensive plays. In the first set, Taiwan scored twice early, fell behind, then used a bases loaded opportunity in the top of the fifth inning to bring home three runs and win 5-3.

Chen helped protect that result by starting a crucial double play, a defensive sequence that records two outs. Such plays can quickly stop an attack by removing runners and reducing an opponent's remaining chances to score.

In the second set, Taiwan scored all five of its runs in the top of the third inning. Captain Chang Wen-Ting drove in two during that surge. Cuba cut the gap to one run, but Taiwan held on for a 5-4 victory, with Chang throwing to first base for the final out.

Hsu identified speed as an important part of the performance. Faster running forced Cuba's defenders to make decisions and complete plays under pressure, giving Taiwan another way to challenge a team accustomed to winning.

Hsu, speaking after the group victory, described that contribution:

I feel I really showcased my speed today, putting pressure on their defence and doing my utmost to break through their lines.

Head coach Feng Wei-Kuo said the team had studied Cuba before the match and adjusted its defensive plans around weaknesses it had identified. His message to the players was to remain composed when Cuba scored and continue playing their own game.

A World Cup defeat became useful experience

Chen brought personal experience of losing a major final to Cuba into the Dakar tournament. She had been part of Taiwan's squad at the 2025 Youth Baseball5 World Cup and said disappointment with her performance then added pressure before the group rematch.

Chen explained how that earlier final affected her:

Because I didn't perform very well back then, I felt a bit of pressure before going on court and was slightly nervous.

The win in Dakar gave her a different experience against the same opponent. She also described a practical way of handling competition: practise with the seriousness of a match, then try to play the match with the freedom and enjoyment of training.

Feng had identified Chen's World Cup experience and Hsu's reading of the game as useful strengths before the tournament. Taiwan selected its squad through domestic trials and three phases of training camps, gradually narrowing the group and preparing it for Dakar.

Feng and coach Hsiao Shu-Fei have led the team since 2025, taking it through the U18 Asian championship, the Youth Baseball5 World Cup and now the Youth Olympics. The eight players are An Wei-Jie, Chang Wen-Ting, Hsu Tzu-Yi, Hsu Shao-Ting, Chen Yu-En, Chen Wan-Zih, Liu En-Hao and Pan Yu-Fan.

Cuba brings a different challenge to the final

Cuba reached the championship match with a convincing semifinal performance. Its 14-7 and 11-1 victories over Kenya produced 25 runs while conceding eight, with the second set ending in a ten run margin.

Taiwan's earlier victory over Cuba was much tighter: two runs separated the teams in the first set and one in the second. Those scores show how closely contested their group meeting was, even though Taiwan won without needing a deciding set.

Cuba head coach Sergio Arturo Perez Echevarria placed the focus on how his players approached the final rather than promising a result:

If we are going to win, good. If we are going to lose, no problem. The most important thing for us is that our players stay happy in the game and execute our ideas.

Perez Echevarria also said the team regularly worked on mentality during practice. Taiwan's players had spoken about similar priorities, including belief, composure and enjoying competition. The final will test those approaches against an opponent each side has already faced in Dakar.

Kenya and Mexico get another chance at a medal

Kenya and Mexico will meet in the bronze medal match before the final, giving both semifinal losers another opportunity to finish the tournament on the podium.

Kenya won their group encounter 6-5, 6-5. Each set was decided by a single run, making the rematch a meeting between teams that had already played a closely contested match.

Kenya coach Elijah Wandicho said his team could still return home with a medal despite its defeat by Cuba:

If they put their mind and heart to it, we can go back home with a medal.

Mexico, meanwhile, reaches the bronze contest after taking a set from world No. 2 Taiwan and leading early in the deciding set. Its next task is to turn those competitive stretches into the two set victories needed for bronze.

Key Points

• Taiwan defeated Mexico 12-2, 2-8, 7-2 to reach the Dakar 2026 baseball5 final.
• Hsu Tzu-Yi scored five runs, including three in the deciding set.
• Taiwan faces Cuba on Tuesday, November 3, after beating the world No. 1 team 5-3, 5-4 in group play.
• The group victory was Cuba's first defeat in WBSC or Olympic baseball5 competition at senior or youth level.
• Cuba reached the final by beating Kenya 14-7, 11-1.
• Kenya and Mexico will play for bronze before the gold medal match.