Failure to come up with the big hit with runners in scoring position, coupled with a deadly fielding error that led to an unearned run for Cuba, cost Taiwan the game as it dropped a 2-0 decision to the defending champs at the Douliou County Baseball Stadium last night for its first defeat in the preliminaries of this year’s Intercontinental Cup Baseball Championship.
Lin Chih-sheng’s inability to come up with a grounder by Cuba’s Hector Olivera leading off the sixth gave the visitors a clear path to victory, which they fully exploited by following it with a pair of singles off Taiwan starter Huang Chih-lung to score their first run of the game.
Leading 1-0, Cuba would tack on an insurance run in the eighth, courtesy of Yulieski Gourriel’s single off reliever Lo Chin-lung, which made it 2-0.
That was more than ample for the Cuban pitching, as it held the Taiwan scoreless in the final two innings, despite allowing a runner to reach in both innings, to keep the shutout win intact for starter Miguel Gonzalez, who finished giving up no runs on three hits over six innings of play.
Taiwan managed to draw four walks and five hits off of Cuban pitching, but could never get the big hits on two different occasions to produce any runs, stranding a total of eight after batting a futile zero-for-three with runners in scoring position in the losing cause.
The loss means that Cuba will most likely win the top seed in Group A’s play, while the home hosts settle for a second-seed berth in the upcoming second round action that commences tomorrow afternoon.
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