New Taipei City turns tables on Johnstown in 8-inning victory; teams meet again at 10 a.m. Wednesday for spot in title game
Aug. 17—WASHINGTON — When Johnstown defeated Chinese Taipei Monday in the winners' bracket of the Pony League World Series, it not only snapped a 17-game winning streak in this double-elimination tournament, but it made the players on the New Taipei City team angry.
At Johnstown for beating them and snapping the winning streak, and also at themselves.
Their hitting was not up to their standards and their fielding was only so-so.
It had to feel good, not only to get another shot at Johns- town, but to avenge Monday's loss with an extra-inning 7-3 victory on Tuesday at Lew Hays Pony Field.
The good news, at least for Johnstown, is that it gets another opportunity to beat Chinese Taipei as the two teams meet again at 10 a.m. Wednesday for a chance to play in Wednesday night's championship game.
The bad news is that Chinese Taipei scored five runs in the eighth inning, one fewer than the Asia-Pacific Zone champion scored in the previous 14 innings against Johnstown, for the four-run victory.
The interpreter for the Chinese Taipei team was unavailable and could not interpret for manager Yang Min-Hung.
Johnstown manager Bugsy Roberts was ejected in the middle of the eighth because he was upset with the strike zone calls.
"I asked (the home plate umpire) if he stood for 'The Star Spangled Banner' or the Chinese national anthem," Roberts said about what he said to warrant and ejection. "Anybody watching the game had to be wondering the same thing.
"I was most upset about the strike zone. Theirs was line to line and ours was corner to corner. We just wanted some consistency. They were ringing our guys up on balls inside and balls outside."
Johnstown trailed 2-1 when Charlie Manzi cracked a solo home run over the center- field fence on the first pitch of the sixth inning to tie the game.
New Taipei City scored five times in the eighth. Three runs came on bases-loaded walks and another on a hit batter.
New Taipei City starter Hong Wei-Zhe was magnificent, striking out 11 and walking none. He worked the outer edge of the plate like a magician.
Normally, that would be a good enough effort to win most games, but Brock Bryson was nearly as good, allowing two runs until the five-run eighth.
New City Taipei scored first, thanks to a botched ground ball by Johnstown's second baseman. The ball, hit by Wei-Zhe, ricocheted off the fielder's leg and into right field. By the time it was tracked down, Wei-Zhe was at second base.
He moved to third on a wild pitch and scored on a ground out by shortstop Lin Xin-Hong.
Chinese Taipei made it 2-0 in the second. Right fielder Yang, Wen-Wei opened the inning with a single to center field and was sacrificed to second on a bunt by second baseman Gao Chiu Sheng-Hung.
Center fielder Chang Shao-Chan brought him home with a single to center to make it 2-0.
Johnstown finally broke through in the fifth inning.
Drew Irons hit a one-out single to right field and took second on a wild pitch. Catcher Ethan Shank brought him home with a bloop single to right field.
