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BASEBALL WORLD CUP: Mexico pounce on Taiwan's mistakes

Mexican baseball players celebrate after defeating Taiwan 9-5 in the Baseball World Cup in Taichung yesterday. PHOTO: AFP

Miscues on both sides of the ball cost Taiwan the game against Mexico in Round 1 action of the Baseball World Cup 2007 in Taichung yesterday, with the home side succumbing 9-5 for their first defeat in four games.
Leftfielder Liao Ying-jeh lost track of a routine fly-ball in the sun for what ended up being a two-run double in the game-turning, four-run sixth, and the offense missed several golden scoring opportunities by coming up empty twice with the bases loaded en route to a disheartening loss at the hands of the previously 1-3 Mexico squad.
What made the loss especially tough for Taiwan was the fact that the drop by Liao came on a play that would have been an inning-ending out. Had he caught the ball, the score would have remained tied at 4-all in the sixth. Adding insult to injury, one of Taiwan's two missed opportunities with the bases loaded came on the final play in the game, when Hsieh Jia-shien struck out with the tying run at the plate.
Taiwan fell behind 0-2 in the fourth after Raul Lopez of Mexico crushed an offering from starter Hsu Ming-jeh over the right-field wall for a two-run shot.
The home side answered with a four-run fifth, highlighted by back-to-back solo homers by Hsieh and Luo Guo-hui, to make it 4-2 in favor of Taiwan.
The two-run lead was short-lived, however, as Mexico rallied for a pair of runs in the top of the sixth before Liao's drop put the visitors ahead for good -- 6-4.
Mexico upped their lead to 7-4 in the seventh on the strength of a pair of hits and walks off reliever Tseng Song-wei. They scored two more times in the ninth to take the game by the scruff of the neck at 9-4 with Taiwan coming in to bat in the bottom of the ninth.
Lin Chih-sheng's solo blast in the bottom of the ninth brought Taiwan to within four in a 9-5 game, but that was as close as it got despite Taiwan loading up the bases after two quick outs.
Earning the win on behalf of Mexico was reliever Jose Cobos, who cooly pitched three-and-a-third innings of shutout ball for his first "W" in the tournament.
His counterpart Nee Fu-deh was charged with the loss for coughing up consecutive base hits in relief of Hsu, turning a one-run lead into a two-run deficit.
In other games yesterday, it was:

Group A
Italy 8, South Africa 0; USA 12, Spain 2; Japan 6, Panama 2.

Group B
Australia 2, South Korea 1; Canada 7, the Netherlands 1; Germany 2, Thailand 0; Cuba 10, Venezuela 0.

TODAY'S GAME
2pm:
TAIWAN v Italy (Tianmu, Taipei City)
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