Korea's Chances of Advancing at WBC Slim Despite Beating Czechs

Korea is facing fading hopes of advancing to the quarterfinals of the World Baseball Classic as it faces off against China in the final game of the group stage on Monday.

Led by coach Lee Kang-chul, Korea beat the Czech Republic on Sunday to post its first win. In its previous two games, it suffered losses to Australia and Japan.

Korea's performance at the first WBC held in six years has been disappointing. It lost to underdog Australia 8-7, suffered a humiliating 13-4 defeat to Japan and struggled to beat the Czech Republic, which is mostly composed of amateur players.

Japan has already secured a ticket to the next round after winning all four of its group games. 

For Korea to have any hope at all of advancing, it must beat China, and Australia must lose to the Czech Republic. 

That would leave Korea tied with Australia and Czech with two wins and two losses, in which case Korea might be able to qualify for the quarterfinals depending on runs scored and batting averages.