Click on this logo to watch a complete video of the game NOTE #1 - this video is in Windows Media Player 'wmv' format NOTE #2 - the game gets underway after one minute NOTE #3 - link active as at Sunday 18th November 2007 I have no idea how long it will remain available

Playing first base
Batting #5

First plate appearance - first innings
-000------Righthanded pitcher
-000------Runners at first and second base - two down
-129------Called strike
-000------Called strike
-132------Ball - low and outside
-000------Ground ball across the diamond and the 4-to-6 play was made at second base for final out of the innings
Second plate appearance - third innings
-000------Righthanded pitcher
-000------Runners at first and second base - none down
-114------Foul ball - at the plate
-000------Ball - high
-129------Ball - outside
-132------Foul ball - back
-106------Ball - breaking ball - high and inside
-000------It's a full count ...... and then the television picture just disappeared!!!
-000------When the telecast resumed, we could see Brett standing at second base
-000------The play-by-play report says ...... "a line drive double into rightfield ...... and 1 x RBI"
-000------The other base runner advanced to third base
-000------Brett scored on a hit by a following Australian batter
Third plate appearance - fourth innings
-000------Righthanded pitcher
-000------Bases empty - one down
-135------A hard hit line drive but it was straight at the rightfielder and out F9
Fourth plate appearance - sixth innings
-000------Righthanded pitcher
-000------Runner at first base - none down
-133------Ball - low and outside
-130------Ball - low and outside
-130------Foul ball - and hit hard into the Australian dugout on the first base side
-135------Smashed into leftfield for a hit ...... single
-000------More from the commentators ...... "looked first class"
-000------More from the commentators ...... "a great piece of hitting on a pitch that was on the outer part of the plate"
-000------Forced out at second base for the final out of the innings
Fifth plate appearance - eighth innings
-000------Righthanded pitcher
-000------Bases empty - one down
-125------Ball - low
-135------Called strike - on the outside corner
-127------Foul tip
-122------Ball - breaking ball - high
-121------Foul ball - straight back
-132------Ball - high
-120------A hard hit fly ball into centrefield and out F8

Play-by-play of Japan batting in the bottom of the fifth innings
Lefthanded pitcher Adam Blackley on the mound and Brett playing at first base
----------Fernando ALEJOS - flys out to shallow rightfield
----------Humberto SOSA - walks
----------Jose FELIX - walks
----------SOSA advances to second base
----------Alejandro AHUMADA - doubles of the leftfield wall
----------SOSA scores
----------FELIX advances to third base
----------SCORE 7-1 to Australia with one out
----------Octavio SANDOVAL - flys out to shallow leftfield
----------Lorenzo BUELNA - walks
----------The bases are loaded with two down!!!
----------With ESPINOZA batting BUELNA is picked off at first base
----------Side Away!!!
A great move by Adam and Brett, who had snuck around behind the runner
The pick-off throw was perfect and the tag was there to meet the runner as he tried to dive back!!!
You can see it in the above video!!!

The Australian Baseball Team are guaranteed of their best ever finish at a World Cup thanks to a comprehensive victory over Mexico in Taipei on Saturday

The Aussies showed their true fighting spirit, bouncing back from yesterday’s demoralising loss to Japan, to win an emotion filled contest that almost got out of control in the top of the seventh inning
With the score already 7-1, Mexican pitcher David Dominguez fired a fastball into the centre of centerfielder Trent Oeltjen’s back, making him the second Australia to be hit in as many innings
Feeling the ‘beaning’ was deliberate and eager to show that he was not deterred by the blow, Oeltjen stole second the very next pitch – a move that upset the Mexican defence
So much so that when Oejten was picked off at second on the next play of the game, the Latin infielders made their feelings clear to Oeltjen in no uncertain terms
The normally passive outfielder promptly returned fire, calling the Mexican’s attention to the scoreboard, and setting off a chain reaction that soon had both teams spilling out of the dugout and on to the infield

After the game Oeltjen did not wish to comment on exactly what was said in the sledging match, but was clear in the message he was trying to send his opponents
“There’s no way we are going to allow them to throw at us and get away with it, we aren’t going to be disrespected by anyone” Oeltjen said
“In the end, they weren’t throwing hard enough to hurt anybody anyway” he said

Directly following the bench clearing incident, Australia relief pitcher Josh Hill was ejected from the game after his fist pitch of the next inning hit leadoff batter Humberto Lopez, a move the home plate umpire felt was in direct in retaliation for the Oeltjen fracas

While the seventh inning fireworks were the focus for many after the game, the real story came much earlier as Australia scored six runs in the first three frames and jumped out to a virtually unassailable lead

The run feast started in the bottom of the second when third-baseman Glenn Williams deposited a fastball into the right-field bleachers, giving his side a 1-0 advantage with his second home run for the tournament

One inning later the flood gates opened as the Aussies sent ten men to the plate, scoring five times and pounding out three extra-base hits to pad the lead to 6-0

The offence was inspiring from top to bottom with everybody able to contribute in some fashion

Australia’s pitching was similarly effective, with starter Adam Blackley able limit Mexico to a single run during his six innings of work despite a less than perfect performance
“I was inconsistent with my fastball and really had to battle all day” Blackley said in his post game press conference
“I guess I was a little lucky in the fact that the Mexican hitters managed to get themselves out most of the time”

The win now matches Australia against Korea in the battle for fifth place, a scenario that will give the Aussies their best finish at the World Cup irrespective of the result
Australia’s previous best had been seventh at the 1998 World Cup in Italy, and despite the assurance of a best-ever finish, Head Coach Jon Deeble is eager to close out the tournament with a win on Sunday
“If we win tomorrow, we will have confirmed our place as one of the best teams in the World, no doubt about it” Deeble said
“Obviously we’d love to be playing off for a medal, but that’s tournament baseball, it only takes one bad game to knock you out of contention”

Pounding out thirteen hits against six Mexican pitchers and getting solid pitching, Australia defeated Mexico 7-1 and will play for fifth place tomorrow at 13:00 (local time) in Shinchuan Stadium against Korea
Mexico will play for seventh place, in the same stadium, at 9:00, against Chinese Taipei

Adam Blackley, the Australian starter, allowed four hits and a run in six innings

He was relieved by Joshua Hill who was ejected after first pitch for throwing deliberately to the batter

Richard Thompson then relieved for the Australian team, allowing two more hits, and Tristan Crawford closed with one

Glenn Williams hit a solo homer in the second inning scoring the first Australian run

In the third inning Australia scored five more runs thanks to a triple by Matthew Kent, doubles by Thomas Brice and Brett Ronenberg, and a single by Justin Huber

Mexican starter Humberto Cortez only made it through the second inning and was relieved by Jose Jimenez and Gabriel Alvarez

A single by Bradley Harman drove in the seventh Australian run in the fifth inning

In the fifth inning a double by Alejandro Ahumada drove in the lone Mexican run