---Mexico v Australia---

Mexico stays in hunt after defeating Australia
Sometimes an ejection of a manager gives extra motivation for a squad
The Mexican skipper Jose Franco was sent to the clubhouse in the fifth for arguing a non-balk-call
Moments later his team took a 3-1 lead
Australia eventually tied the game
But Mexico stayed aggressive and scored the go-ahead runs in the eighth to take a 7-4 victory against the Aussies
It was a much-needed win for them
But it was by no means easy
Australia came back two times to tie the score
Mexico went up in front through a sac fly by Luis Garcia (2-3) in the first
The Aussies answered with a RBI-single by Andrew Utting in the fourth
In the aforementioned fifth period Carlos Valencia (3-4) led off with a double off the left field wall
Australians pitcher Adam Blackley tried to pick him off, which caused the ejection of Franco
After a sac bunt, they loaded the bases
A groundout by Heber Gomez (2-5) and a passed ball were responsible for the two runs
But Australia rallied again
Tom Brice cut the deficit to one run with a RBI-double and scored the third run on a RBI-single by Luke Hughes (3-3, BB)
But then came the eighth. Adam Bright, who impressed with two perfect innings on Sunday, replaced Liam Hendricks
In difference to the game against Canada, Bright was very much hittable
Mexico loaded the bases again and pinch runner Geronimo Gil forced in a run, when a pitch hit him
They added two more through a RBI-single by Valencia and a fielder’s choice by Jose Rodriguez
The Silver Medallist from 2004 tried to come back a third time in the bottom of the frame
Hughes provided his second RBI-single of the day but was stranded on first
Mexico added another insurance run in the ninth to build up the advantage again
Ivan Terrazas sealed the win with a RBI-single
Closer Rafael Diaz came in and completed the game with two strikeouts and an easy popup to short
Javier Lopez started for the North Americans
He allowed three runs on seven hits in 5-2/3 innings, striking out six
Jose Silva relieved him and got the win
Blackley, who is in the Red Sox organization, impressed with nine strikeouts in five innings
But the southpaw also gave up five hits and three runs (2 ER) in his start
Fellow lefty Bright took the loss
Tuesday is off for both teams

Mexico 7 – Australia 4
Sitting at 0-3 and facing a hot Australian team, Mexico needed to be in top form on Monday night in Douliou Stadium
It was just that, surprising the Aussies, 7-4
Twenty-four hours after knocking off Canada in a hotly-contested match-up of two of the tournament’s favorites, Australia let its guard down against a winless Mexican side
Six different players recorded an RBI for Mexico, and Carlos Valencia Coronel led his team with a 3-4 performance
Australia’s starter Adam Blackley was stellar, striking out nine and only giving up two earned runs in five innings, but the bullpen couldn’t hold the lead down

AUSTRALIA “MEXI” - Can't quite get it Done! - Aussies drop Game Four to Mexico
The Australian Baseball Team face an uphill battle on their road to Beijing following a tough 7-4 loss to a star-studded Mexican outfit on day four of the 2008 Final Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Taiwan
Trailing through the first five innings, the Aussies managed to claw themselves back and tie the game in the bottom of the sixth before some errant pitching and defensive miscues ultimately cost them the game
Manager Jon Deeble was noticeably despondent after the loss, but remained philosophical about his team’s chances for the rest of the tournament
“There’s no doubt we let that one get away from us tonight” Deeble said
“We started the game a little flat, but once we came back to tie it, I felt like we were going to get the job done towards the back end
But there’s no point in talking about the one that got away
The simple fact remains that if we win our next three games, we’re going to the Olympics” he said
While the Aussies were far from their best against Mexico, they continue to blend an electrifying offence with consistent starting pitching that is sure to bode well for the team’s final three contests
Lefthander Adam Blackley started on the mound for Australia and despite allowing three runs (2 earned) in his five innings, Blackley made use of an at times dazzling change-up to strike out nine Mexican hitters on the night
On offence, Australia again boasted a balanced attack, as four different Aussie sluggers amassed at least two hits, with Tom Brice (2 for 4, 2 doubles, RBI) and Luke Hughes (3 for 3, 2 RBI) leading the charge
The loss, combined with Canada’s extra inning win over host nation Chinese Taipei, leaves Australia outside the vital top three places and means they enter the final three games of the tournament faced with virtual “sudden-death”
While mathematically Australia could still qualify with four wins from the seven-game event, reality suggests that any team will need at least five victories to qualify
The real test for the Aussies will come on Wednesday, when they face off against Chinese Taipei and an expected 40,000 raucous Taiwanese fans
With head-to-head results likely to come into play for any potential tie-breaker scenarios, a win against Taiwan will leave Australia in the driver’s seat against both the host nation and Canada - the two sides who join Australia and Korea as the most likely to contend for the top three spots

Top 1st (Mexico At Bat)
Christian PRESICHI - Singles on a line drive to LF, (0 out)
Heber GOMEZ - Singles on a line drive to LF, PRESICHI advances to 3B, (0 out)
Jesus COTA - Strikes out swinging, (1 out)
Luis GARCIA - Out on a sacfrice fly to RF, PRESICHI scores, GOMEZ advances to 3B, 1-0 MEXICO, (2 out)
Miguel OJEDA - Strikes out swinging, (3 out)
(1 Run, 2 Hits, 0 Errors)

Bot 1st (Australia At Bat)
Paul WEICHARD - Strikes out swinging, (1 out)
Daniel BERG - Grounds out to 3B - 5-3, (2 out)
Ben RISINGER - Flys out to shallow RF, (3 out)
(0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors)

Top 2nd (Mexico At Bat)
Karim GARCIA - Strikes out looking, (1 out)
Roberto SAUCEDO - Strikes out swinging, (2 out)
Carlos VALENCIA - Doubles on a line drive to RF, (2 out)
Jose RODRIGUEZ - Strikes out swinging, (3 out)
(0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors)

Bot 2nd (Australia At Bat)
Glenn WILLIAMS - Grounds out to SS - 6-3, (1 out)
Andrew UTTING - Strikes out looking, (2 out)
Tom BRICE - Grounds out to 2B - 4-3, (3 out)
(0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors)

Top 3rd (Mexico At Bat)
Christian PRESICHI - Lines out softly to SS, (1 out)
Heber GOMEZ - Grounds out to SS - 4-3, (2 out)
Jesus COTA - Strikes out swinging, (3 out)
(0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors)

Bot 3rd (Australia At Bat)
Luke HUGHES - Singles on a line drive to LF, (0 out)
With KENT batting HUGHES caught stealing at 2B, (1 out)
Mat KENT - Singles on a line drive to LF, (1 out)
Brad DUTTON - Strikes out looking, (2 out)
Paul WEICHARD - Pops out to 3B, (3 out)
(0 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors)

Top 4th (Mexico At Bat)
Luis GARCIA - Doubles on a line drive to LF, (0 out)
Miguel OJEDA - Flys out to LF, (1 out)
Karim GARCIA - Strikes out looking, (2 out)
Roberto SAUCEDO - Strikes out swinging, (3 out)
(0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors)

Bot 4th (Australia At Bat)
Daniel BERG - Strikes out looking, (1 out)
Ben RISINGER - Singles on a line drive to LF, (1 out)
Glenn WILLIAMS - Singles on a ground ball to LF, (1 out)
Andrew UTTING - Singles on a ground ball to CF (RBI), RISINGER scores, WILLIAMS advances to 3B, (1 out)
UTTING out at 2B trying to advance on the throw. SCORE TIED 1-1, (2 out)
Tom BRICE - Strikes out swinging, (3 out)
(1 Run, 3 Hits, 0 Errors)

Top 5th (Mexico At Bat)
Carlos VALENCIA - Doubles off the LF wall, (0 out)
Mexican Manager Jose FRANCO ejected for arguing an attempted pick-off as a BALK
Jose RODRIGUEZ - Out on a sacrifice bunt - 5-3, VALENCIA advances to 3B, (1 out)
Christian PRESICHI - Walks, (1 out)
with GOMEZ batting PRESICHI steals 2B
Heber GOMEZ - Grounds out to 2B - 4-3 (RBI), VALENCIA scores, PRESICHI advances to 3B, 2-1 MEXICO, (2 out)
with COTA batting PRESICHI scores on a passed ball, 3-1 MEXICO, (2 out)
Jesus COTA - Strikes out looking, (3 out)
(2 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors)

Bot 5th (Australia At Bat)
Luke HUGHES - Walks, (0 out)
Mat KENT - Singles on a line drive to LF, HUGHES advances to 2B, (0 out)
Pinch Runner #19 James LINGER replaces Mat KENT
Brad DUTTON - Reaches on fielders choice on attempted sacrifice bunt - 1-5, HUGHES out at 3B, LINGER advances to 2B, (1 out)
Paul WEICHARD - Reaches on fielders choice - 3-6, LINGER advances to 3B, Dutton out at 2B, (2 out)
Daniel BERG - Strikes out swinging, (3 out)
(0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors)

Top 6th (Mexico At Bat)
Pitching Change #4 Liam HENDRIKS replaces Adam BLACKLEY
Defensive Change #29 Joel NAUGHTON enters as catcher
Luis GARCIA - Strikes out looking, (1 out)
Miguel OJEDA - Reaches on a throwing error by 3B, (1 out)
Karim GARCIA - Grounds out to 1B unassisted, OJEDA advances to 2B, (2 out)
Roberto SAUCEDO - Grounds out to SS - 6-3, (3 out)
(0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors)

Bot 6th (Australia At Bat)
Ben RISINGER - Grounds out to 3B - 5-3, (1 out)
Glenn WILLIAMS - Fouls out to 1B, (2 out)
Andrew UTTING - Walks, (2 out)
Tom BRICE - Doubles off the RF wall (RBI), UTTING scores, 3-2 MEXICO, (2 out)
Pitching Change #56 Jose SILVA replaces Javier LOPEZ
Luke HUGHES - Singles on ground ball to CF (RBI), BRICE scores, SCORE TIED 3-3, (2 out)
Joel NAUGHTON - Reaches on a fielding error by 1B, HUGHES advances to 3B, (2 out)
Brad DUTTON - Flys out to CF, (3 out)
(2 Runs, 2 Hits, 1 Errors)

Top 7th (Mexico At Bat)
Carlos VALENCIA - Lines out to 3B, (1 out)
Jose RODRIGUEZ - Grounds out to 2B - 4-3, (2 out)
Christian PRESICHI - Singles on a ground ball to 2B, (2 out)
Heber GOMEZ - Flys out to deep CF, (3 out)
(0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors)

Bot 7th (Australia At Bat)
Paul WEICHARD - Strikes out swinging, (1 out)
Daniel BERG - Strikes out swinging, (2 out)
Ben RISINGER - Strikes out swinging, (3 out)
(0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors)

Top 8th (Mexico At Bat)
Pitching Change #11 Adam BRIGHT replaces Liam HENDRIKS
Jesus COTA - Singles on a ground ball to LF
Luis GARCIA - Singles on a ground ball to LF, COTA advances to 2B, (0 out)
Pinch runner #7 Ivan TERRAZAS replaces Luis GARCIA at 1B
With OJEDA batting - PASSED BALL - COTA advances to 3B, TERRAZAS advances to 2B, (0 out)
Miguel OJEDA - Walks, BASES LOADED, (0 out)
Pinch HITTER #12 Geronimo GIL replaces Karim GARCIA
Pitching Change #28 Brendan WISE replaces Adam BRIGHT
Geronimo GIL - Hit by pitch (RBI), COTA scores, TERRAZAS advances to 3B, OJEDA advances to 2B, 4-3 MEXICO, (0 out)
Roberto SAUCEDO - Grounds into fielders choice - 5-2, TERRAZAS out at the plate, OJEDA advances to 3B, GIL advances to 2B, (1 out)
Carlos VALENCIA - Singles on a ground ball to LF (RBI), OJEDA scores, GIL advances to 3B, SAUCEDO advances to 2B, 5-3 MEXICO, (1 out)
Pinch Runner #3 Jose SANDOVAL replaces Roberto SAUCEDO at 2B
Jose RODRIGUEZ - Reaches on fielders choice - PO5 (RBI) - GIL scores, SANDOVAL out at 2B, 6-3 MEXICO, (2 out)
Christian PRESICHI - Grounds out to SS unassisted, (3 out)
(3 Runs, 3 Hits, 0 Errors)

Bot 8th (Australia At Bat)
Glenn WILLIAMS - Singles on a line drive to RF, (0 out)
Andrew UTTING - Grounds into double play - 1-6-3, (2 out)
Tom BRICE - Doubles on a line drive to left-centre, (2 out)
With HUGHES batting BRICE advances to 2B on a wild pitch
Luke HUGHES - Singles on a line drive to LF (RBI), BRICE scores, 6-4 MEXICO, (2 out)
Pitching Change #25 Roberto RAMIREZ replaces Jose SILVA
Pinch Hitter #22 Brendan KINGMAN replaces Joel NAUGHTON
Brendan KINGMAN - Grounds into fielders choice - PO4, HUGHES out at 2B, (3 out)
(1 Run, 1 Hit, 0 Errors)

Top 9th (Mexico At Bat)
Heber GOMEZ - Doubles on a ground ball down the 3B line, (0 out)
Jesus COTA - Grounds out to 2B - 4-3, GOMEZ advances to 3B, (1 out)
Ivan TERRAZAS - Singles on a ground ball to CF (RBI), GOMEZ scores, 7-4 MEXICO, (1 out)
Miguel OJEDA - Strikes out looking, (2 out)
Luis SUAREZ - Grounds out to SS, 6-3, (3 out)
(1 Run, 2 Hits, 0 Errors)

Bot 9th (Australia At Bat)
Pitching Change #2 Rafael DIAZ replace Roberto RAMIREZ
Brad DUTTON - Strikes out swinging, (1 out)
Paul WEICHARD - Strikes out swinging, (2 out)
Daniel BERG - Pops out to SS, (3 out)
(0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors)
GAME OVER MEXICO WINS 7-4