Baseball World Cup Classification Game for 7th Place, Firenze:
Venezuela – Taiwan 6-3
TPE 001 010 001 3 7 0 VEN 000 002 13X 6 11 1
In a rematch of Friday’s third-round match Venezuela beat Taiwan 6-3 on Saturday in Firenze to finish in seventh place at the 2009 Baseball World Cup. Only a disappointing crowd of 110 people followed the game at the Cerreti ballpark.
Taiwan struck first and took a 2-0 lead through five innings thanks to RBI singles by Tai-Yung Kuo and Kun-Sheng Lin. Venezuela came back in the bottom of the sixth on a two-run single by Dirimo Chavez to tie the game. One inning later Jonathan Sivira drove in Wuilliams Vazquez with a sac fly for the lead. Rene Reyes highlighted a three-run rally with a two-run single in the eighth, which sealed the win. Taiwan scored another run in the ninth on a double play ground ball, but it was not enough.
Willy Guedez (VEN) issued four hits and two runs in five innings. Wen-Yang Liao (TPE) gave up five hits, two runs and a walk in 5 1/3 innings. Johan Lopez (W 1-0) picked up the win. Yu-Ching Lin (L 3-1) took the loss.
Actually 110 people in the stands in Firenze is not a bad outcome. Usually Cerreti ballpark has been hosting from 20 to 40 people attending local team ballgames (and in that figure I’m including both players’ girlfriends and wifes).