Chinese Taipei, USA score big. Korea comes from behind to beat The Netherlands

Chinese Taipei and USA scored big and are on top of group A after Day 1 of the WBSC Women’s Baseball World Cup.

Chinese Taipei outscored, 9-1, Venezuela in the rematch of the 2016 Women’s Baseball World Cup bronze medal game. Chinese Taipei used a third inning six-run rally and was able to overcame three defensive errors. Huang Chiao Yung pitched six innings, allowing nine hits but only one run, to earn the win.

Chinese Taipei broke the score open in the top of the third as they got to starter Giddelys Cumana, that had retired the side in order in the first couple of innings. Tu Yu Chuan led off with a double. After a walk and a sacrifice bunt, Hsieh Yu Ying got a 2 RBI single. Cumana struggled with command, hit a batter and walked another. She then gave up a 2 RBI single to Shen Chia Weng and went to the showers. Reliever Maria Rincon allowed two more runs on a base hit by Tseng Chi that made it a 6-0 game.

Huan Chiao Yung earned the win for Chinese Taipei

The USA showed no mercy to Puerto Rico and cruised to a 14-0 win in 5 innings. The game got started with an 11-run first at bat.

The USA got to starter Maria Zayas with a triple by veteran star Malaika Underwood and never needed to look back. When Underwood tripled, Brittany Gomez (walk) and Jade Gortarez (hit by pitch) where on base and scored the first two runs of the night. Zayas left without recording an out. She allowed six runs and her reliever Quetsy Colon allowed five, getting at least one out. Jassmine Rivera got out of the nightmare inning when the scoreboard was already showing an 11-o lead for the USA.
USA starter Stacy Piagno lived a relaxing night. She went the distance and allowed no runs on four hits.

The game was watched by 140,000 people via WBSC Facebook live feed and by 160,309 people on WBSC YouTube channel.

Time to celebrate

Korea came from behind to defeat, 9-8, The Netherlands in a three-hour thriller.

The Netherlands took an early lead over as Famke Gildemacher singled off Kim Heejin to score Winke Verdick and Isabelle Markies.
The Dutch added three more runs in the bottom of the second on back to back singles by Markies and Nadja Roelofsen.

Despite not allowing a hit, Dutch starter Loes Asmus was hurt by two defensive errors that helped Korea score three runs in the top of the third.
Asmus gave up the very first hit of her game in the top of the fifth (a single by Won Hyeryeon) and Korea capitalized on it and on a couple of walks to make it a one run game.
Also Korea’s defense was plagued by errors: a total of 6 in the game, and this helped The Netherlands strike back in the bottom of the fifth.

The real trouble for The Netherlands came when Asmus left after 5 innings and 124 pitches. The Dutch needed three relievers to get out of the inning: Berber Jansen couldn’t record an out and gave up four earned runs on two hits, by Shin Jongeun and Lee Bitna, and two walks. Anouk Verngust and Maud Werkman took the Dutch out of the sixth but with Korea leading 9-8.

Kim Rakyung, born November 2000, pitched three innings in relief and picked up the win for Korea.

Korea defends second against The Netherlands