FROM USA BASEBALL RELEASE
BURLINGTON, NC— Roger Kieschnick (Texas Tech) hit his second home run of the series, the go-ahead two-run home run in the top of the ninth, to lead Team USA (7-1) to a 6-4 victory over Chinese Taipei (1-2) in the second game of the five-game series. Kieschnick finished with three RBIs, all coming in the last two innings.
Ryan Flaherty (Vanderbilt) had two RBI singles, while Jordan Danks (Texas) reached base safely three times, scoring three times on two walks and a single.
Chinese Taipei scored four runs in the eighth to tie the game at 4-4, after the Americans took a 4-0 lead in the top of the inning with three runs.
Closer Cody Satterwhite (Ole Miss) gave up a two-run, two-out double by Chuan Lin Yi to tie the game at 4-4. Back-to-back RBI doubles off of Josh Romanski (San Diego) cut the lead to 4-2. Satterwhite (1-0) ended up with the win, rebounding with a scoreless ninth.
Team USA finally solved reliever Wen Cheng Kai with three runs in the eighth to lead 4-0. Kai had retired the first six batters he faced, before giving up a leadoff walk to Jordan Danks (Texas). Danks came around to score for the second time in the game on a Kieschnick RBI single, before Flaherty followed with an RBI single to make it 3-0. A sacrifice fly by Justin Smoak (South Carolina) made it 4-0.
Jen Lo Chia pitched five strong innings for Chinese Taipei, allowing just one hit, but trailing 1-0. He walked three and struck out another three on 72 pitches. Jacob Thompson (Virginia) countered with six scoreless innings of two-hit ball. He struck out two and walked two, using just 79 pitches.
Flaherty drove in Danks in the third to give the Americans a 1-0 lead. Catcher Mu Chen Jui had two of the first three hits for CTBA. The second hit came in the eighth. CTBA finished with six hits.
TEAM NOTES
The Americans were the designated visitor after serving as the home team on Friday… the first half of the game saw a steady downpour of rain…. Team USA had a three-hit shutout last night and had 16 scoreless innings in the series until CTBA scored in the eighth… the game times tonight, Sunday and Monday (7 p.m. /12 p.m./10 a.m.) represent close to the same times the Americans will play at the Pan American Games next month (7 p.m. /11 a.m. /9 a.m.).
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
The Chinese Taipei series will continue in Cary, NC at the National Training Complex (July 1-2) at noon on Sunday and 10 a.m. on Monday, before finishing off in Kannapolis, NC (July 3) at 7 p.m. The 10-game North Carolina home stand continues with Japan on July 4 to begin a five-game series.
