August 24, 2017
Chinese Taipei scored its first baseball win of the Universiade on Tuesday, August 22. Captain Chen Chung-yu got the team off to a blistering start with a hit, one of 16 the host team made in the game. This, combined with pitcher Chen Ming-hsuan’s strong performance of 11 strikes and no runs in six innings, saw the locals run out to an 11-0 victory over the Czech Republic.
The host team started off offensively. After Chen Chung-ting was walked, Wang Cheng-tang’s sacrifice bunt sent his teammate to second base while he also managed to get himself to first with a good dive that earned thunderous applause from the crowd. Chen Chung-yu’s timely hit gave the team one run, which was followed by a triple by Wu Chien-jui. Fan Kuo-chen helped add another run with a sacrifice fly. Three consecutive hits by Chang Min-hsun, Yuen Tung-hua and Chang Hao-wei gave Chinese Taipei a huge five-run lead just after the first inning.
The Czech Republic sent off its starter Jan Vasourek after just one inning, but replacement Stepan Havlicek didn’t fare much better, giving up four runs in the third inning when Yuen Tung-hua, Chang Hao-wei, Chen Chung-ting and Wang Cheng-tang scored three with four hits in a row followed by a solo home run by Chen Chung-yu.
Chinese Taipei extended its lead in the sixth inning, beginning with another hit by Cheng Chung-yu, who later got to third base thanks to some stealing and errors by the Czech team. After two outs, Wu Chien-jui sent Chen home with a sacrifice fly. Shih Kuan-yu then delivered a double and was sent home thanks to a hit by Chang Min-hsun, giving the home side its 11th run. The game was called after the Czech Republic failed to score any runs in seven innings.
Chinese Taipei starter Chen Ming-hsuan, who plays in Taiwan’s domestic league for the Fubon Guardians, pitched for six innings, conceding only two hits and striking out 11 hitters. This effort, along with that of reliever Wu Chen-yu, who pitched for one inning, effectively shut out the Czech team.
Head coach Kuo Lee Chien-yu said his players had done well despite the considerable pressure they had been under. “The Czech team is actually pretty good overall. But Chen Ming-hsuan did so well. I hope this game can help us play better tomorrow,” he said. After Tuesday’s result, Chinese Taipei has one win and one loss in Group A, and will face a tough South Korea in its next outing. “Every one of us wants to win — we need to win on Aug. 23,” Kuo Lee said
South Korea lost to the Czech Republic in an upset on Sunday, but stabilized Tuesday to rout France. The head coach said the team had lost its first match because everyone was nervous. Now, following the players’ return to form Tuesday, the coach vowed victory in the showdown with Chinese Taipei.
© Baseball Federation of Asia. All RIGHTS RESERVED. / PRIVACY POLICY
