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The 2026 Haixia Cup Cross-Strait University Baseball and Softball Elite Tournament opens at the Xujiadai Baseball Field in Jiaxing. [Photo provided to Tide News]

The 2026 Haixia Cup Cross-Strait University Baseball and Softball Elite Tournament opened on July 9 at the Xujiadai Baseball Field in Lindai town, Jiaxing, East China's Zhejiang province, bringing together university teams from the Chinese mainland and Taiwan.

The three-day event features 258 players and coaches from 12 universities competing in baseball and softball. The baseball division includes eight teams from universities such as Jiaxing University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and National Taiwan University, while the softball division includes four teams from universities such as Peking University and Nanjing Tech University.

The opening baseball game saw Shanghai Jiao Tong University defeat National Taiwan Normal University 10-8 after recovering from an early 8-1 deficit. Players from both teams have said the tournament provides a valuable opportunity to compete and exchange experiences.

The Xujiadai Baseball Field, a previously underused low-lying area, was built by the town in 2018 as China's first standard youth baseball field in a rural area, and was later upgraded into a 12,500-square-meter international stadium in 2025, with a capacity for nearly 2,000 spectators.

The town hosted 15 high-level baseball events last year, including the National Youth Baseball Championship, developing into a baseball-themed rural destination.

This year's Haixia Cup aims to become a regular platform for young players from the Chinese mainland and Taiwan to build friendships through baseball.