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U.S. makes short work of powerful Chinese Taipei

If anyone doubted the American’s chances at the World Junior Baseball Championship, they can put those fears aside. The undefeated U.S. (3-0) took a Chinese Taipei team that was averaging .
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American Franciso Lindor dives back into first during the U.S.'s 10-0 win Monday over Chinese Taipei at the World Junior Baseball Championship at Port Arthur Stadium. (By Leith Dunick, tbnewswatch.com)
If anyone doubted the American’s chances at the World Junior Baseball Championship, they can put those fears aside.

The undefeated U.S. (3-0) took a Chinese Taipei team that was averaging .418 after two games and absolutely humiliated them Monday night, scoring seven runs on seven straight hits in the third inning to put the game away in a hurry.

Too add insult to injury American starter Philip Pfeifer, undefeated in his high-school career, was perfect until he walked Tsai Chih Yu with one out in the fifth, the first hit coming two batters later when Liao Chun Kai reached safely.

Pfeifer finished with a complete game, two-hit shutout.

The end result was a 10-0 American triumph that ended after seven, courtesy of the WJBC’s much-used mercy rule.

Pfeifer said he had a strategy aimed at silencing the tournament’s most powerful offence.

“Our pitching guy, he told us to throw inside. Once they adjusted to that we started moving off the plate and more off-speed to throw them off balance. And when they hit me hard, my guys were there to make plays,” said the Knoxville, Tenn. native, set to enter his senior year at Farragut High School, just west of the city.

Pfeifer said he was aware the Chinese Taipei team had dominated its first two games at the WJBC, but had no idea just how good their hitters had been rapping out 28 hits and 24 runs in wins over France and Australia.

“I knew they were going to be competitive, but I didn’t know their batting average was ... that high,” he said. “That’s kind of a surprise, .418 is pretty good.”

They just couldn’t get it done on Monday night, before an estimated crowd of 2,300 at Port Arthur Stadium, where officials earlier in the day added temporary bleachers that should up the facility’s capacity by about 500, in anticipation of even larger crowds as the medal round begins.

The Americans, meanwhile, seemed to have no difficulty producing against a staff that a day earlier surrendered 11 runs to Australia.

No. 2 hitter Francisco Lindor dealt the big blow in the second, driving a 1-1 Wang Wei Chung offering into the trees beyond the left-field fence, a two-run shot that made it 3-0 at the time.

“I wasn’t really looking for it,” Lindor said. “In my mind I was thinking of hitting a line drive to the opposite side to get Tony Wolters in. I wanted to move him around and give (Marcus) Littlewood a chance to hit the ball. But I hit it hard and it went opposite field,” said Lindor, who went 2-for-2 with a double and stolen base padding his already impressive hitting resume.

The Americans didn’t stop there.

Marcus Littlewood and Blake Swihart delivered a singles that ended Chung’s night in a hurry, though his replacement Huang Jia Wei fared no better.

Bubba Starling hit a high hopper to third that loaded the bases, then Brian Ragira doubled to LF Ko Chih Wei, who lost it in the sun, allowing it to drop scoring two more. No. 9 hitter Michael Lorenzen smashed a shot to second that Yang Hung Sheng couldn’t handle that loaded the bases, but Tony Wolters, who already had two doubles in the game, grounded into a 4-6-3 double play to end the inning.

The Americans simply waited for another opportunity to arise to add to their totals and got it courtesy of Blake Swihart, who delivered a two-run blast in the sixth to make it 10-0.

Pfeifer walked Sheng to start the seventh and gave up an infield single to the next hitter, Lin Chih Hsien, but settled down, striking out DH Tsai Chih Yu and getting RF Lin Chih Ching to hit into a game-ending double play.

 U.S. hitting coach Brian McRae, the former Major Leaguer who is spending his retirement years coaching high school baseball, said his team may have made it look easy, but a lot of hard work went into the win.

“We faced a good pitcher who got some balls up and we were able to take advantage of that and swing the bats like we’re capable of doing. Hopefully we can take the momentum from the last two ballgames into tomorrow,” he said.

The next victim is the Venezuelans (1-2) on Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. at Baseball Central. Chinese Taipei (2-1) will play Italy at 12:30.

In other WJBC play Tuesday:

Italy 14 France 8: At Port Arthur Stadium Davide Benetti went 2-for-4 with two runs and six RBI as the Italians evened their record at 2-2 with a handy, though competitive, win over winless France (0-3). Benetti’s big blow was a three-run triple in the eighth. France trailed 5-0 after one, but tied it 5-5 in the fourth. Andy Paz and Simon Vicente each drove in a pair for the French, who take on Australia at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday at Port Arthur Stadium.



Leith Dunick

About the Author: Leith Dunick

A proud Nova Scotian who has called Thunder Bay home since 2002, Leith is Dougall Media's director of news, but still likes to tell your stories too. Wants his Expos back and to see Neil Young at least one more time. Twitter: @LeithDunick
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