USA 15, Taipei 1
SS Jordy Mercer went 3-for-3 with two doubles, a home run, and 3 RBI as Team USA overwhelmed Chinese Taipei in World Cup Tournament play tonight. The US hitters scored in 5 straight innings, including a huge 7-run 4th inning, and took advantage of 3 Taipei errors.
Two quiet innings began the game. Team USA scored one run in the top of the 3rd when CF Jordan Danks (White Sox) singled, then scored on Mercer’s RBI double into right center field. Taipei came right back in the bottom of the frame to tie the score on a triple and a single off USA starter Andy Van Hekken (Astros).
After that, it was all USA. Seven runs scored in the top of the 4th. Mercer drove in the first run when he walked with the bases loaded. C Travis d’Arnaud (Blue Jays) doubled in a run, and RBI singles added to the total. LF AJ Pollock (Diamondbacks) wrapped up the inning with a 3-run homer, to give the USA an 8-1 lead. 3B Tommy Mendonca blasted a 2-run homer in the 5th, increasing the lead to 10-1.
Mercer doubled again to lead off the 6th inning, then advanced to third on an error. Mercer stole home in a double steal, then 1B Matt Clark (Padres) contributed a 3-run homer… 14-1. Mercer scored the final run of the game with a solo homer in the 7th.
Van Hekken earned the win with 6 innings of work. He allowed the one run in the 3rd and 4 hits. Jeffrey Beliveau (Cubs) pitched one scoreless inning for the US.
The game between Team USA and Japan, which was postponed due to rain on Sunday, will be played on Wednesday at 5 pm.
Other tournament game:
Canada 12, Greece 2
Team Canada pounded away at the Greeks, out-hitting them 14 – 6. Greece’s two runs came in the bottom of the 4th, and on only one hit — three walks loaded the bases, and a double drove in the runs. Team Canada scored one run in the 2nd, then added 3 runs in the 4th with a lead-off homer, a single and two doubles. Four more runs came in during the 4th inning, thanks to a pair of triples, including one by former Pirate farmhand 1B Jamie Romak. Romaks’ triple drove in two runs, and he later scored on an RBI single. Pinch hitter Chris Bisson’s 3-run homer in the 6th gave Canada an 11-3 lead. Romak walked to lead off the 9th, then came around to score the final run of the game.
