The Final Olympic Qualifying Tournament is over. Oh, there will be four games on Friday. But they are all meaningless.
Canada upset South Korea thanks to two homeruns by Nick WEGLARZ and Matt ROGELSTAD in addition to a solid pitching performance. The Asian powerhouse tried everything and rallied for two runs in the ninth but lost for the first time.
Besides these two teams, Taiwan is the third squad to qualify for the Olympics. They already had clinched the spot yesterday. Though they defeated South Africa anyway. It took a few frames longer than usual to get on the board. But obviously the intense level was not that high, after clinching the berth on Wednesday.
Germany’s starter Enorbel MARQUEZ-RAMIREZ had another solid outing today. He allowed just three runs in eight innings against the powerful offense of Mexico. But they had an even better pitcher on the mound today, as Pablo ORTEGA shut them down. It was too late for the Central Americans, as they had lost all games against the top three teams.
It is the same with Australia. There chances were pretty slim before day six, as Canada had to lose their last two games. They crushed Spain on Thursday, though it was worthless, after losing to Taiwan and Mexico the days before. It is much more disappointing for them, because they had won the silver medal in Athens 2004 and should be at the tournament to get a chance to defend it. Started as favorites they didn’t get the job done.
Of course we will follow the final game day on Friday. In the afternoon, Spain faces Mexico and South Africa hopes for a win against Australia. Canada and Germany will follow at 16:30 as the organizers rescheduled the start time for their game. So they can attend the closing ceremony, which takes place after the conclusion of the Asian battle between South Korea and Chinese Taipei.
Photo: © International Baseball Federation (www.ibaf.tv)
