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Strong start propels Chinese Taipei to mercy-rule win against Australia

By HENRY HUBER 4 min read

A closer look at Chinese Taipei's 11-0 win over Australia on Friday at Volunteer Stadium.

PLAY OF THE GAME -- Chinese Taipei'sChiu Wei-Che double in the first: It wasn't the flashiest play or one that was super impactful on the stats, but Chinese Taipei leadoff batter Chiu Wei-Che impacted the game with his first at-bat, driving a fly ball deep into center field, hitting the wall and making it all the way to second. Against a team that was hoping to quickly adjust, that emphatic, opening play set it back.

CHINESE TAIPEI PLAYER OF THE GAME -- First baseman Liao Hsuan-Hao: Chinese Taipei first baseman Liao Hsuan-Hao turned every plate appearance he had into runs for his team, going 3 for 3 from the plate and accounting for a monstrous five RBIs. It was a breakout performance for Hsuan-Hao, who played a key role in bolstering his team's momentum and made the most out of every opportunity he had to impact the game.

AUSTRALIA PLAYER OF THE GAME -- Centerfielder Emma Gainsford: Despite not logging a hit on the day, Australia center fielder Emma Gainsford also never got out, fight from a 1-2 count to a walk on her first at-bat and earning another against a full count on her second. She was also effective defensively, catching two flyouts in the fourth inning.

BIG INNING--Chinese Taipei's first: In dealing with first-game jitters, Australia came out of the gates shaky and Chinese Taipei took full advantage. It was able to load the bases with a leadoff double from Chiu Wei-Che and two walks. Then, Chinese Taipei put up four runs on the next two at-bats, making the most out of a few critical mistakes from Australia, such as a wild pitch, throwing error and passed ball. Even with Australia's defense earning an out on each of the last three batters faced, Chinese Taipei still added two more runs off fielder's choices, getting out to a 6-0 lead through its first three outs.

BEST EFFORT -- Chinese Taipei's offense: Australia started to establish itself towards the end of the game, pitching two scoreless innings after that initial offensive explosion from Chinese Taipei and seeing more and more runners on base as the game continued. But with one last push in the third, Chinese Taipei left no question, with two walks and back-to-back doubles from Peng Yi-Yen and Liao Hsuan-Hao giving it three more runs and putting the team in mercy-rule territory.

FLASHING LEATHER--Through five innings, three Chinese Taipei pitchers saw the mound in Lin Sheng-Kai, Chiu Wei-Che and Yu Teng-Hao, combining for a one-hit shutout and showing what manager Lee Cheng-Ta was talking about when he said this bull pen was good all around. Wei-Che led the way there statistically, relieving Sheng-Kai to start the third and striking out five batters in two innings pitched.

WHAT THE ADULTS SAY-- "Whoever comes to Williamsport is a very good team, so no one (on our team) is going to go easy," said Chinese Taipei manager Lee Chang-Ta on the team's approach to each game. "Every game, we're going to play our hardest and hopefully we can do our best and (continue to) perform well."

"I think it just keeps coming back to slowing down this process," said Australia manager Adam Dobb on what the team has planned ahead of next game. "Let's not rush through these two days and have it pass too quickly. We'll slow down, keep enjoying ourselves, chant, hang together and soak it all up. Everybody's had a blast here, made some amazing, lifelong friends."

WHAT THE KIDS SAY-- "I was very nervous but at the same time, I was very excited," said Chinese Taipei starting pitcher Lin Sheng-Kai on his first start from the mound.

WHAT IT MEANS-- With the win, Chinese Taipei is set to face Cuba at 5 p.m. on Monday at Volunteer Stadium, with Chinese Taipei looking to build off two dominant victories and Cuba hoping to ride the momentum it captured late against Czech Republic.

Australia gets sent down to the consolations, where it will look to keep its series run alive against the winner of Saturday's matchup between Czech Republic and Aruba, Sunday at 5 p.m. at Volunteer Stadium.

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