BASEBALL/Rare win over Team U.S.A. at Premier12 boosts Taiwan final hopes

Taipei, Nov. 22 (CNA) One day after its first shutout loss at the WBSC Premier12, Team Taiwan bounced back with a commanding 8-2 victory over Team U.S.A. on Friday, keeping its hopes for a spot in the final alive.

The win in the super round marked Taiwan's first triumph over the United States at a top-tier international baseball tournament, such as the Olympics or World Baseball Classic, since 2003.

Taiwan's last win over Team U.S.A. came during the 2003 Baseball World Cup, with only one win in the previous 10 matchups since 1999.

Friday's game remained tightly contested through the first six innings, with the margin never exceeding two runs. However, the tide turned in the top of the seventh inning when Spencer Patton took the mound as the fifth American pitcher, with Team Taiwan holding a 3-2 lead.

The 36-year-old veteran quickly found himself in trouble, loading the bases with two hits and a walk to face Taiwan shortstop Chiang Kun-yu (江坤宇), who had struck out with the bases loaded earlier in the third inning.

This time, Chiang delivered, ripping a clutch 3-RBI triple off the wall in deep right-center field to set the tone for the game.

Patton, who threw 19 pitches in the inning, eventually gave up five hits and one walk, allowing five earned runs without recording an out before being pulled. The scoreboard remained unchanged after Taiwan's offensive explosion.

After the game, Chiang said he was determined to seize his second at-bat with bases-loaded, describing his clutch hit as "a pill of reassurance" for the team.

"Everyone on this team has been giving their all, working hard for the team, for Taiwan, for Taiwanese fans, and for those who traveled to Japan to cheer us on. It feels like we're all united, and that's an incredible feeling," said the 24-year-old CTBC Brothers shortstop.

Team Taiwan tallied 14 hits as its offense shone, with all nine batters contributing at least one. Pan Chie-kai's (潘傑楷) solo shot in the fifth inning, which briefly extended Taiwan's lead to 3-1, marked the team's seventh homer of the tournament.

Meanwhile, Taiwanese pitchers continued to dominate the mound. As of Friday, the team had yet to concede more than three runs in any game during the competition.

The latest win kept Taiwan's hopes for a spot in Sunday's final alive. However, to advance, the team will likely need a victory over Japan in their Saturday evening matchup, having lost to 3-1 to them in the Group B match in Taipei.

The coaching staff will finalize their choice for starting pitcher after watching Japan's game against Venezuela later Friday night, according to Blue Wei (魏楚育), an anchor for Taiwan's ELTA Sports.