𝗩𝗶𝗮 𝗥𝗼𝗻𝘇𝗲𝗹 𝗖𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁
Philippines came up short against Chinese Taipei, 9–5, in the bronze-medal match of the Intermediate Division at the Little League Asia-Pacific & Middle East Tournament, with the host nation pulling away in the late innings.
Composed of the national champion Tanauan City Little League squad, the Filipinos reached the semifinals in their inaugural Intermediate-division outing before falling short of a podium finish.
Tanauan City LL earned this berth by winning the 2025 Philippine Intermediate National Championship and marked the country’s first entry into an Intermediate-division Asia-Pacific regional, as age-11–13 teams had previously only competed at the Little League (12-U) level.
The game swung decisively in the fifth inning, when the Taiwanese lineup exploded for six runs to turn a narrow one-run edge into a commanding 8–1 advantage.
Earlier on, the Filipino batters struck first in the top of the 1st inning, setting the tone with early aggression.
Meanwhile, a late four-run rally in the 7th inning showed the squad’s resilience, but the deficit proved too steep to close.
The Philippine side will look to build on this strong debut as it prepares for future regional tournaments and aims for a return to the world stage in the 2026 Little League season.