Taiwan Passes Toughest Test, 1-0 : Little League: Manager says narrow victory over Dominican Republic is more difficult than title game will be.

Chia Ming Cheng won an extra-inning pitchers’ duel with Santiago Heredia as Taiwan advanced to the championship game of the Little League World Series with a 1-0 victory Thursday over the Dominican Republic.

Taiwan, which has won 15 Little League championships, will face Spring, Tex., on Saturday.

Cheng and Heredia were throwing about 75 m.p.h. and neither walked a batter. Cheng gave up only one hit and struck out 12; Heredia gave up four hits and struck out nine.

With the game scoreless and one out in the top of the seventh, Heredia hit Che-Yi Su with a fastball and Chih Wei Wang singled off the glove of shortstop Rodrigo Bens. Chien Chao Huang then hit a long fly ball to right to advance Su to third with two outs.

With Taiwan’s No. 9 batter, Jen Wei Hu, up, Dominican catcher Deivi Soriano couldn’t handle a high wild pitch from Heredia and Su scored easily.

Dominican manager Eduardo Sosa was too emotional to discuss the loss.

“He’s really having a hard time,” said interpreter Micah Rogers, who has been with the team all week. “The pressure to win on a team from a country like the Dominican Republic is greater than it is on the Americans.”

With one out in the bottom of the seventh, Bens reached on an error, but he was forced at second when Soriano grounded to short. Soriano stole second, but the game ended on Cesar Alcantara’s strikeout.

“This is the first time Taiwan has been involved in such a tough game,” Taiwan Manager Tzyy-Tsan Wang said. “This is the very first time in the world series that I thought I might lose a game.”

Wang said the game was probably more difficult than the championship will be Saturday.

Cheng struck out the first eight batters before Charly Suero broke up the perfect game with a single past short. Wang said Cheng knew he could get the Dominicans out after Taiwan beat the Latin American champs, 5-1, Monday.

“After the first game we felt that the Latin American batters were too eager,” Wang said.