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Taiwan, Australia head for do-or-die Olympic qualifier

Taiwan and Australia face a do-or-die game at 6:30pm in Douliou on day five of the IBAF Final Olympic Qualifying Tournament today. The winner will be on track for a berth in the Olympics, while the loser will be left hoping for a miracle.

Taiwan will probably send Yang Chien-fu to the mound. Yang, who plays for the Sinon Bulls, pitched well against Mexico on Saturday, giving up one run and five hits over five innings for the win. He only threw 69 pitches, so three days' rest should be enough.

Australia will most likely call on 18-year-old phenomenon Steve Kent, a pitcher in the Atlanta Braves farm system.

Taiwan and Australia are both vying for a top-three finish, which would give them a place in the Beijing Olympics. Taiwan are tied with Canada for second place with three wins and one loss, but must still face powerhouse South Korea. Australia are tied with Germany for fourth place with two wins and two losses. Taiwan are their last remaining opponent among the tournament's "big five."

If Taiwan does lose today, their best hope of advancing would be to win their remaining matches against South Africa and South Korea and for Canada to beat South Korea. Then, barring major upsets, South Korea, Taiwan and Australia would all be tied for second at five wins and three losses. In that case Australia would be eliminated, because after head-to-head matches, the second tiebreaker is runs allowed, and the Aussies are still hurting from their 16-2 drubbing at the hands of the Koreans on Saturday.
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