China scores 5 Runs in 12th to upset Taiwan

China – Taiwan 8-7 (12)

TPE 000 011 001 004  7 11 1
CHN 000 000 030 005  8 11 3

Box score

Like the Cuba versus USA thriller, the second morning game on Friday also had use of the new tie-breaker rule. China upset Taiwan 8-7, after winning the twelfth inning exchange 5-4. After both teams failed to bring one of the two runners home in the eleventh, they came through in the third extra inning.

After advancing the runners with a sac bunt, Taiwan scored four runs in the top of the twelfth on a bases loaded walk by Kuo-Hui Lo, a two-run double by Feng-Min Chen and a RBI single by Chih-Wei Shih. But it was not enough.

The Chinese team, which didn’t used a sac bunt at the beginning of the period, loaded the bases with a walk and no outs. After a strikeout to Lei Li, Chao Wang cut the deficit with a RBI single. A flyout by Wie Sun led to the second out with the bases still loaded. A walk by Lingfeng Sun brought in another run, before Fenglian Hou ended the game with a bases clearing single in addition to an error by right fielder Chien-Ming Chang.

Chinese Taipei had forced extra innings, when they tied the game in the top of the ninth on Chien-Ming Chang’s two-out RBI double. China had taken the lead in the eighth, scoring three runs on RBIs by Fei Feng, Yufeng Zhang and Wei Wang. Kuo-Hui Lo homered for Taiwan in the fifth.

Wei-Lun Pan (TPE) allowed just four hits and two walks in 6 1/3 innings. He struck out eight. Nan Wang (CHN) gave up four hits, a run and three base on balls in five innings. Jiangang Lv (W 1-0) picked up the win, Chien-Fu Yang (L 0-1) took the loss.