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Premier12, First Round, Pool A: Chinese Taipei – Cuba 4-1
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Chinese Taipei stunned Cuba with a late three-run home run in the eighth to break a tie in a 4-1 victory on game day number four in the first round at the Premier12 in front of a soldout house at Intercontinental Stadium in Taichung. Both teams are now 2-2 one day before the end of the preliminary phase with CT owning the tie-breaker in the race for the quarterfinals.
A couple of moments after Yunieski Gourriel got thrown out at the plate after a Alfredo Despaigne single to right field, Chinese Taipei decided the outcome. A regular walk and an intentional base on balls sandwiched a sac bunt, bringing Chih-Sheng Lin to the plate in the bottom of the eighth. The second baseman then sent a 2-1 pitch over the fence in left field for the game-winning three-run home run.
Chinese Taipei had taken a 1-0 lead in the second thanks to a RBI single by Dai-Kang Yang. Yulieski Gourriel tied the game in the sixth, when he crossed the plate on a ground ball by Despaigne, which the shortstop couldn’t handle. In the ninth Cuba put runners on second and third with two outs, but Yurisbel Gracial grounded out to the pitcher for the final out of the game.
On Sunday Chinese Taipei faces Puerto Rico in its final first-round matchup, while Cuba takes on Italy.