Cleveland Sports Forum

Monday, October 10, 2011

A near perfect Chinese Taipei surprises Puerto Rico

Asians win the first game thanks to a two-run Homerun by Kuan Wei Yang

Aguadulce (Coclè, Panama).

Chinese Taipei got the first win in the 2011 Baseball World Cup and feeds the USA hopes to go through the first round. A good defense, a great performance of starting pitcher Kuan Yu Chen and a perfect game at the plate kept down Puerto Rico. Kuan Wei Yang put his team on the way to the win with a two-run homer in the second inning. The Chinese Taipei relief corp controlled the Caribbean attempt to come back into the game and sealed the win for their team (3-1).

At the first little slump of Caribbean starter Ivan Maldonado in the second, Chinese Taipei scored. Chun Hsiu Chen opened the inning with a single than Yang shot the ball over the fence.

The scoreboard changed in the fifth when Wei Ting Lin had a hit, stole second and crossed the plate on the single by Po Ting Hsiao (3-0).

Meanwhile Chen controlled very well the American bats pitching four no-hit inning and allowing the first valid one just in the fifth. In the next inning the Asian starter had a little mistake and Puerto Rico runned. Reymond Fuentes went home on a single by Neftali Soto (1-3).

Chinese Taipei gave the ball to relievers Ching Lung Lo and Yao Hsun Yang who stopped the opposing team helped by a good defense which closed the game with a
double play.

Now for Puerto Rico the only chance to move up into the second round is a United States defeat in a make-up game against Panama on Monday afternoon.

Chun Chen was 2-4 with a run scored.

Monday, October 10, 2011

Chinese Taipei says goodbye to BWC with 2nd Win

Asians score 15 times in Blowout against Greece

Aguadulce (Coclè, Panama).

It took the Chinese Taipei five offensive innings to get an easy 15-0 win over Greece in the last game of the first round at Remon Cantera in Aguadulce. The Asians scored in each inning, 12 times in the first three. Too much for the Europeans who said goodbye to the 2011 IBAF Baseball World Cup without a victory.

In a very fast game, 1 hour and 45 minutes, Chinese Taipei collected eleven hits, with five doubles and one triple, to defeat Greece. While the European team shot just one hit by Panagiotis Cheilakis in the first inning and supported the Asians with a bad defensive performance, committing four errors.

The three Asian pitchers made a very good job and threw a shutout allowing just a hit and a walk, striking out seven.

The best offensive performance was by leadoff man Han Lin who went 3 for 5 with one RBI.

Chun Chen was 0-2 with 2 walks, 2 rbis, a run scored and a run batted in.

Monday, October 10, 2011

One Second Round Spot left, as USA stays alive

7 of 8 Teams set for 2nd Round, as defending champion fights against Elimination


Panama City, Panama.

Seven of the eight spots for the second round at the 2011 IBAF Baseball World Cup are handed out. The lone open place belongs to either defending champion Team USA or Puerto Rico. Their fate will decided on Monday in a make-up game. To get into this situation the United States had to lose against a strong Canadian squad in the afternoon and Puerto Rico to an equally impressive Chinese Taipei in the evening.

Group 1

USA 1 – Canada 6

Recap

Canada defeated Team USA 6-1 on Sunday afternoon to pick up its sixth win in seven games in the first round of the 2011 IBAF Baseball World Cup. The defending champion on the other hand dropped to 3-3 and now needs some help from Chinese Taipei to stay alive. Brock Kjeldgaard put Canada en route to the win with a three-run homerun in the second. He later added a RBI double to cap a three-run ninth, providing some insurance. Shawn Hill pitched 6 1/3 strong innings with the only mistake being a solo homerun by Matt Clark in the seventh.

Chinese Taipei 3 – Puerto Rico 1

Recap

Chinese Taipei got the first win in the 2011 Baseball World Cup and feeds the USA hopes to go through the first round. A good defense, a great performance of starting pitcher Kuan Yu Chen and a perfect game at the plate kept down Puerto Rico. Kuan Wei Yang put his team on the way to the win with a two-run homer in the second inning. The Chinese Taipei relief corp controlled the Caribbean attempt to come back into the game and sealed the win for their team (3-1).

Monday, October 10, 2011

Team USA books 2nd Round Ticket on Van Hekken’s Gem

Defending champion beats Panama and advances as eighth and last Team

Panama City, Panama.

Thanks to a brilliant start by Andy van Hekken, Team USA is still in the 2011 IBAF Baseball World Cup and will move up into the second round as the number-four team from Group 1. They shut out Panama 5-0 on Monday afternoon at Rod Carew Stadium in a make-up of Saturday’s rainout. Brett Jackson and Tommy Mendonca hit solo homeruns. Panama was already qualified for the second round, but will enter with a second loss.

Andy van Hekken (W, 2-0) kept Team USA in the tournament. The 31-year-old left hander from Holland, Michigan, who pitched briefly in the MLB for the Detroit Tigers in 2002, dominated from the beginning. And this without any strikeouts or walks, as Panama’s batters only worked the count a few times in the game. His only missteps were five singles through his eight innings of work. Two of the five base runners were eliminated in double plays. Scott Patterson closed it out with a perfect ninth.

While Van Hekken was dealing on the mound, the offense took care of the rest. Brett Jackson gave Team USA the lead in the third with a RBI double down the right field line. He came around to score on Joe Thurston’s single two batters later. In the fourth a solo homerun by Tommy Mendonca and Thurston’s RBI double made it 4-0. Jackson raised the lead to five runs in the sixth with another solo shot.

Both teams will be back on action on Tuesday. Team USA is going to square off with Group 2 winner Cuba, while Panama takes on Venezuela.

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

2nd Round starts with Defending Champion on Tuesday

USA beats Panama on Monday – Schedule announced

Panama City, Panama.

The first round of the 2011 IBAF Baseball World Cup ended on Monday with a pair of make-up games for Saturday’s rainouts. While the 15-0 shutout by Chinese Taipei over Greece in Aguadulce in the morning hadn’t much meaning the second game did. USA had to win against Panama in Panama City or Puerto Rico would advance to the second round. The defending champion delivered, as Andy van Hekken threw eight five-hit innings in a 5-0 victory. Brett Jackson and Tommy Mendonca hit homeruns.

With this match played all decisions were made. Cuba, Venezuela, Korea and Australia already had clinched their advancing spots from Group 1. In Group 2 USA joined Canada, Netherlands and Panama. It was a thrilling first phase of the tournament, which saw only record title holder Cuba staying undefeated through seven games. Except the drama surrounding the United States and Puerto Rico, baseball powerhouses Dominican Republic, Japan and Chinese Taipei, as well as European Champion Italy, Nicaragua, Greece and Germany got eliminated.

The second round will again feature a round robin format and be played from Tuesday to Friday. All four stadiums of the first round will be used. The standings of this phase will be determined based on the results between all eight advancing teams, including the first round results. So as an example Canada will start the second round with a 2-1 record, having defeated the Netherlands and the USA, but lost to Panama. Based on these seven results for each team, the classification games and the finals will be played on Saturday.

The highlight of the first day on Tuesday will be the rematch of the 2009 and 2007 Baseball World Cup finals between Cuba and USA in the evening in Santiago. Earlier on the day at the same stadium Canada will try to hold down the surging Australian team. In Chitre the Netherlands take on Korea in the afternoon and host Panama squares off with Venezuela.

Schedule 2nd Round for 2011 IBAF Baseball World Cup

Tuesday, October 11

14h00 Canada – Australia (Santiago)
14h00 Netherlands – Korea (Chitre)
19h30 Venezuela – Panama (Chitre)
19h30 Cuba – USA (Santiago)

Wednesday, October 12

14h00 Netherlands – Australia (Santiago)
14h00 Venezuela – USA (Chitre)
19h30 Cuba – Panama (Santiago)
19h30 Canada – Korea (Chitre)

Thursday, October 13

14h00 USA – Australia (Aguadulce)*
15h00 Canada – Venezuela (Panama City)
19h30 Korea – Panama (Panama City)*
19h30 Cuba – Netherlands (Aguadulce)

Friday, October 14

14h00 Canada – Cuba (Panama City)*
14h00 Netherlands – Venezuela (Aguadulce)*
19h30 Korea – USA (Aguadulce)
19h30 Panama – Australia (Panama City)
*home field advantage will be determined due to coin flip

Schedule Classification Games

Saturday, October 15

11h00 Game for 7th Place (Aguadulce)
11h00 Game for 5th Place (Santiago)
11h00 Game for 3rd Place (Panama City)
17h00 Championship Game (Panama City)

Standings 2nd Round

Cuba 3-0
Canada 2-1
Netherlands 2-1
Australia 1-2
Korea 1-2
Panama 1-2
Venezuela 1-2
USA 1-2
(tied teams are sorted in alphabetical order)

Defending champ USA (3-3) faces undefeated Cuba (6-0) heading into the second round of the World Cup Games. Team USA was the final team in a field of 8 to qualify for second round. Team USA batting in the top of the first failed to score.

Cuba scored 3 times in the bottom of the first to take a 3-0 lead on Team USA. USA came back with a single run in the top of the second and 3 more in the top of the third to take a 4-3 lead, but Cuba answered with a 4 spot in the bottom of the third to retake a 7-4 lead. That game is in the bottom of the 4th now. There's a couple of players on that Cuban team I wouldn't mind seeing defect to Cleveland.

Panama has a commanding 11-2 lead on Venezuela in the Venezuelan home half of the 6th. Paolo Espino is having a nice series. Tonight is his third start, first in the second round. Tonight Paolo Espino has gone the route. Six complete innings in the books. 3 hits, 2 runs (both earned), 8 strikeouts, 3 walks. All Venezuelan runs were the results of solo blasts, one in the second and one in the sixth.

A 2 out basehit in the top of the 5th pulls Team USA within a run of a tie. USA still batting in the top of the fifth. Cuba 7 USA 6.

Paolo Espino's night is complete. Call to the pen. Another nice job by Paolo.

Damaso Espino, former Indian as well as Paolo's brother and batterymate, has 3 hits in 4 trips to the plate including a double, 2 rbi's, and a run scored.

Cuba added a run in the bottom of the 7th and they take an 8-6 lead ballgame in the top of the 8th.

Panama picks up another win by a score of 11-4 over Venezuela. Paolo Espino picks up his second win in the series against no losses and a 5 inning, no decision game in round 1.