Miscues by the second baseman on a relay throw off an RBI single led to a three-run play as China rolled off five unanswered runs in the bottom of the 12th to top Taiwan 8-7 in Game Three at the Wukesong Baseball Field in Beijing yesterday.
What was supposed to be an easy win for Taiwan turned into a dishearteningly shocking first-ever defeat in a fully represented international competition to China as Taiwan failed to protect a multi-run lead on two different occasions in a losing effort.
After enjoying a seemingly comfortable 2-0 lead through the top of the eighth on a fifth-inning solo home run by Luo Guo-hui and a run-scoring error by the Chinese infield in the sixth, the game was all but in the bag for Taiwan with reliever extraordinaire Nee Fu-deh on the mound looking to close it out with six outs to go for China.
PHOTO: WANG YI-SUNG, TAIPEI TIMES
That turned out not to be the case as China managed to place its first two hitters on base via an infield single and a walk issued by Nee, which prompted skipper Hong Yi-chung to send in closer Luo Chia-ren.
Lee gave up a single and a double in a three-run eighth to find Taiwan suddenly trailing 2-3 heading into the top of the ninth.
Fortunately for Taiwan the game went into extra-innings as Chang Chien-ming came through with a clutch two-out ground-rule double that scored the tying run in the top of the ninth to make it 3-3.
The runner on first would have easily scored for the go-ahead run had it not been a ground-rule double. Instead, the game promptly went into extra-innings. Taiwan managed to plate four runs in the top of the 12th, with Luo Guo-hui drawing a bases-loaded walk and Chen Feng-min and Shih Chih-wei knocking in three combined runs off Chinese reliever and the eventual game-winner Lu Jiangang with a double and a single respectively.
China rallied from four down with an RBI-single by Wang Chao off game-loser Yang Jien-fu for its first run of the inning and a bases-loaded walk by Sun Lingfeng before Hou Fenglian delivered the game-winning swing that clinched the historic win.
TODAY’S CONTEST
Next up for Taiwan in the seven-game preliminary round will be the defending champs from Cuba, nicknamed the “Red Lightning,” fresh off a 5-4 nailbiting win of their own over the US in extra-innings yesterday.
The game is scheduled to start at 11:30am, with veteran Chang Chih-chia the probable starter.
It will be an uphill battle for Taiwan, both mentally and physically, since they will have to regroup in a hurry after back-to-back devastating losses to Japan and China.
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