Riccardo Schiroli and Jason Pan in Taichung
The Canberra Cavalry beat (2-0) the Eda Rhinos and eliminated them from the Asia Series. The aussie side is already un the semi finals with still one game to play.
Canberra played a solid game behind starter Ekstrom. The formerBig Leaguer gave the team a good 6.1 inning effort, surviving a bases loaded no out jam in the fourth, when he struck out center fielder Su and got shortstop Lin to hit into a double play. Relievers Lyman and Toler pitched the late innings to maintain the shut out.
The aussie scored in the second on back to back doubles by 40 year old veteran DH Wells and prospect Sloan and added the insurance run in the eigth, when Crouse ran all the way from first to third on a base hit by Wells and scored on a wild pitch by Rhinos starter Matt Torra.
“We played quality baseball” said Canberra manager Collins “And of course Ekstrom did a great job”.
Mike Ekstrom was impressed by the fans: “It was a great atmosphere. I believe we won because we had a game plan”.
Rhinos manager Williams took the loss with ease: “Things didn’t work out for us, but I wouldn’t change anything. We didn’t get the clutch hit, this is baseball“.
BOX SCORE
A strong outing by the Uni President Lions gave no chance to Unipol Bologna. The final score is pretty explicit, since the home team won 10-0 in 7 innings (the game was shortened by the international mercy rule).
Starter Giancarlo Alvarado was supposed to be the ace of the Italian staff, as the only player on the roster who had previously competed in the Asia Series. The righthander struggled with control from the beginning and left the game with one out in the second and Bologna down 4-0.
The Uni Lions offense got the timely hits that was needed, starting with a 2 RBI single by star shortstop Chen Yung Chi. Left hander Alex Burkard got six outs in a row, but then allowed 3 more runs in the fifth (the Uni Lions showed some power with third baseman K.C. Kao and center fielder C. I. Tang) and that was the ballgame.
Bologna offense was off a promising start, but then was limited to a mere 2 hits (singles by second baseman Vaglio and first baseman Malengo) by starter Wang Chien Ming and reliever W. Y. Yao.
“This score is too bad” commented Unipol Bologna manager Marco Nanni “The game definitely did not have the outcome I expected. Alvarado? He was probably too tired because of the long flight”.
Chien Lien Hung was very happy with the way his Uni Lions performed: “Pitching and hitting proved to be almost perfect. I expect we keep this trend in the next few days”.
BOX SCORE
