Taipei, Taiwan – After starting its summer tour with a perfect 9-0 record, the Collegiate National Team dropped its second-straight contest Monday night falling to Chinese-Taipei, 1-0, at Hsinchuang Baseball Field.
With the game scoreless heading to the ninth inning and down to its last strike, Chinese-Taipei pinch hitter Yen-Wen Kou slapped two-out, 0-2 offering from Noe Ramirez (Cal State Fullerton) to right field scoring Hsien-Hsien Yang from third base for the game-winning run. Yang reached on an errant throw by third baseman Jason Esposito (Vanderbilt) and wound up on second base before moving to third on a ground out to second by Chen-Yu Hung.
Despite allowing two walks in an inning of relief, Yu-Ching Lin picked up the win for Chinese-Taipei, who has taken the first two games of the four-game international friendly series. Chen-Hua Lin recorded the save after striking out two of the three batters he faced to end the game. Starter Wen-Yang Liao went four innings allowing three hits and striking out six, while Hung-Cheng Lai (2.0 IP) and Hao Chiu (1.0 IP) each kept Team USA hitless.
Scott McGough (Oregon) absorbed the loss falling to 1-1 on the summer after allowing one run (unearned) in an inning of relief. Fellow Oregon hurler Tyler Anderson pitched six innings of shutout ball in the start where he fanned five, walked one and gave up one hit. Brian Johnson (Florida), who made his fifth appearance, tossed 1 1/3 innings of scoreless ball with three walks and a hit before Ramirez toed the rubber for the ninth inning.
Team USA, which was held to a season-low three hits, was shutout for the first time since Aug. 10, 2007 when the same Chinese-Taipei squad claimed a 1-0 victory in the World Port Tournament held in Rotterdam, Netherlands.
The Collegiate National Team stranded nine runners on base including five through the first four innings with three of those in scoring position. USA’s pitching staff held their opponent to three or fewer hits for the fifth time this summer and lowered its season ERA to 1.05.
Chinese-Taipei and Team USA will continue the four-game series on Tuesday, July 27 with a 6:30 a.m. (EST) first pitch scheduled.
