Taiwan scored a 11-7 victory over Italy in their World Baseball Classic (WBC) Pool A battle last night.
The hosts got on the scoreboard first at the Taichung Intercontinental Stadium when former Boston Red Sox player Lin Tzu-wei (林子偉) belted a solo homer off Italy starting pitcher Ryan Castellani over the right-field wall in the opening frame.
In the top of the second, Italy got consecutive hits against Taiwan starter Chiang Shao-ching (江少慶) to put men at the corners.
Photo: CNA
Italy put on a squeeze bunt by Nicky Lopez, pushing home the runner from third base and the next batter, Ben DeLuzio, ripped one to deep left field for an RBI triple, putting Italy ahead 2-1.
Taiwan replied with an RBI single by Cheng Tsung-che (鄭宗哲).
Pitch count limits forced both teams to replace their starters in the third, with Chiang giving way to lefty Wang Wei-chung (王維中) and Castellani replaced by former Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Joe Biagini.
Photo: EPA
Taiwan's batters turned on the heat, getting four hits off Biagini to chalk up two more runs and adding another against Stephen Woods Jr to make it 5-2 in the bottom of the third frame.
However, Wang also ran into trouble, with Italy rallying on RBI hits by Lopez, Miles Mastrobuoni and Sal Frelik to grab a 6-5 lead.
Italy's standout player Lopez got his third RBI of the game against Taiwan's fourth pitcher, Chen Yu-hsun (陳禹勳), padding their lead at 7-5 in the fifth inning.
Yu Chang (張育成) smashed a two-run homer in the sixth inning to make it 7-7 and Taiwan went ahead for good in the eighth after pinch-hitter Fan Kuo-cheng (范國宸) slapped a bouncer for an infield single, sending a runner home from third base.
The hosts cranked up the firepower for some late-innings heroics. Taiwan had two runners on through a walk and a single in the eighth when catcher Giljegiljaw Kungkuan drilled a shot over the center-field wall for a three-run homer, sparking celebrations in the packed stands.
Closer Sung Chia-hao (宋家豪), a member of Japan's Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles, got two ground-outs before Italy's Brett Sullivan got on base with a single.
However, Sung struck out Robel Garcia for the final out to preserve the 11-7 lead and nailed down a hard-fought win.
In the earlier Pool A game at the Taichung Stadium, Cuba routed Panama 13-4.
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