Women’s Baseball World Cup: Chinese Taipei beats USA, plays Netherlands on Monday to win group A

Chinese Taipei beat, 4-3, the USA and now has a very good chance of winning group A of the Women’s Baseball World Cup. Chinese Taipei will close the round robin against the last place Netherlands. The hosts will in any case qualify, but will start the super round with one loss. If Chinese Taipei beats The Netherlands, the third team advancing to the super round will be determined by the other makeup game scheduled on Monday, 27 August: Puerto Rico vs Venezuela.

Chinese Taipei took the lead in the third against Jade Gortarez.Yang Chia Hui led off with a single and advanced to second on a bunt by Hsieh Yu Ying. With two outs, a base hit by Chen Hsiao Mei scored her from second.

The USA struck right back in the bottom half of the frame. Anna Kimbrell led off with a single. With one out, Brittany Gomez followed with another base hit. Gortarez advanced the runners with a sacrifice bunt and Malaika Underwood drove a offering by Chinese Taipei starter Huang Chiao Yun deep into left field for a two-RBI double.

Chinese Taipei took the lead back in the top of the fourth. Wen Ya Bo led off with a double. With one out, Chinese Taipei loaded the bases with back to back base hits by Lee Shih Yun and Yang Chia Hui. Gortarez walked Hsieh Yu Ying for the tying run and Chen Yu Hsuan batted in the go ahead run with a sacrifice fly to left.

The USA tied it in the bottom of the fifth on a sacrifice fly by Malaika Underwood, but Chinese Taipei took immediately the lead back in the top of the sixth.
Samantha Cobb took over for Gortarez and got started hitting Tu Yu Chuan. Lee Shih Yun bunted for the hit and brought Tu to second. A sacrifice bunt by Yang Chia Hui advanced runners and Hsieh Yu Yu Ying scored Tu with a sacrifice fly to center field.

Wang Chiao Yun faced a total of seven batters in the sixth and the seventh. She allowed one hit and closed the game striking out Brittany Gomez.

Huang Chiao Yun went the distance to grab the win for Chinese Taipei

Venezuela collected the second win in the Women’s Baseball World Cup as they outscored, 17-1, The Netherlands in five innings.
Venezuela scored 16 times in the bottom of the first. It was a 20-player at bat, with Marianne Perez and Freymar Suniaga showing up three times. Venezuela thrived on poor control by Dutch pitcher Maaike Haak and collected nine hits, including a double by Freymar Suniaga.
Linibeth Aguilarte went the distance for Venezuela, allowing one run on four hits.

Puerto Rico defeated Korea, 10-4, to record the third win in the tournament. Korea is now eliminated from the super round.

Korea’s starter Kim Bo Mi didn’t survive the first inning. She left with one out for Kim Rakyung after allowing three runs on three hits.

Kim kept Puerto Rico’s bats quiet for a couple of innings. She got started in the fourth with a walk to Marleen Gomez. Luz Feliciano and Lisandra Berrios followed with back to back singles. After an error and another walk (two runs allowed) Kim left for Jung Hyemin. The newcomer got out of the inning with no further damage.

Puerto Rico broke the score open against Jung, Cho Myunghee and Lee Jihye.
Nylah Ramirez pitched four shut out innings. Korea’s bats came to live in the seventh against reliever Ashley Garcia. Korea collected four runs and took advantage of some control struggles by Garcia. The rally stopped at four.

The matchup between Puerto Rico and Venezuela (scheduled for Monday, 27 August, at 11) is going to be a key game in group A race for a spot in the super round.