(Story by Marco Stoovelaar)
 Come-from-behind win USA; Italy outscored by Mexico; Canada plays tie vs. Venezuela
Nederlands
  TAIPEI / DOULIU (Taiwan) -
On Saturday (November 7), most teams completed their preparations for the upcoming Premier12, playing their last exhibition games.
Team USA came from behind again to win vs. Taiwan, 4-3, while Canada and Venezuela played a 5-5 tie.
Italy was outscored by Mexico, 6-2.
The team of the Kingdom of the Netherlands closed its preparations on Saturday with a 5-3 loss against the Dominican Republic.
The squad won 7-0 against the team of the University of New Taipei City on Wednesday (November 4), then lost 3-2 to the USA on Friday (November 6).
Recap first game
Recap second game
Recap third game
The Premier12 opens on Sunday with the game between Japan and South Korea in Sapporo (Japan).
On Monday, the preliminary round begins in Taiwan with the opening game between Taiwan and the Netherlands.
At a sold out Tianmu Stadium in Taipei, Team USA registered another come-from-behind victory on Saturday, winning 4-3 vs. Taiwan.
Earlier, the team trailed 2-0 against the Netherlands, but went on to win 3-2 in the ninth inning.
In the 3-game series against Canada earlier last week in Phoenix, two games ended in a tie, while the third ended in a small win for the Americans.
Today, the Americans took an early lead in the first inning.
Jacob May led off with a double and later scored the first run on a sacrifice fly by Matt McBride.
Pitchers Brooks Pounders and Zack Segovia both threw two scoreless innings.
In these four at bats, Taiwan registered only one basehit.
In the sixth inning, the Americans doubled their lead when May scored on a single by Brett Eibner.
But in the bottom of the sixth, Taiwan rallied for three runs on a 2-out double.
In the top of the ninth, trailing 3-2, Team USA scored twice to win the game after all.
With two outs, Brett Phillips homered to tie the score.
Hereafter, three singles followed, including the game-winner by Elliot Soto that brought home Tyler Pastornicky.
This was the last exhibition game for Team USA, which will have two practice days on Sunday and Monday.
The team opens on Tuesday against the Dominican Republic.
Taiwan opens on Monday vs. the Netherlands.
At Douliu, Canada and Venezuela played a 5-5 tie on Saturday in the final exhibition game for both teams.
Pete Orr, who batted in four runs against Mexico, today was 3-for-5.
Justin Atkinson batted in two runs and had two basehits.
Canada opened the score with two runs in the first inning on a sacrifice fly by Tyler O'Neill and a single by Rene Tosoni.
Venezuela got one run back in the third inning, then added two runs on three hits with two outs to take a 3-2 lead.
Including therein was an RBI-double by 37-year old Juan Rivera, who played 12 years in the Major League (2001-2012) for five clubs, including six with the Los Angels Angels of Anaheim, playing in a total of 1058 games.
A single by Orr then tied the score in the third and re-took the lead in the fifth on a single by Atkinson.
In the sixth, a 2-run homerun by Rivera gave Venezuela a 5-4 lead.
In the seventh, Canada tied the score again on a single by Atkinson with two outs.
On the next two days, Canada will have workouts, then opens on Tuesday against Cuba.
Venezuela then begins against Mexico.
At Douliu, Italy (nr. 11 ranking) lost 6-2 to Mexico (nr. 12 ranking), which rallied for four runs in the fifth inning.
While the defense and the pitching was fine for the Italians, the offense didn't produce.
Italy produced only five hits (two by Mario Chiarini), while Mexico collected 11.
Mexico took an 1-0 lead in the second inning, added a run in the next at bat, then saw Italy get one run back in the fourth.
But then, Mexico decided the game in the fifth at bat, scoring four runs.
In the second inning, Mexico opened the score on a single by Brandon Macias.
A double by Tim Torres brought in the next run in the third.
In the fourth inning, Italy got the bases loaded.
With Alessandro Vaglio on first base, Mario Chiarini doubled and Alberto Mineo walked.
Renato Imperiali then grounded out, leading to the first Italian run.
Mexico reacted with four runs in the fifth inning, highlighted by back-to-back doubles by Yadir Drake and Rudy Flores.
Italy scored only one more run in the eighth inning.
In the ninth inning, outfielder Ennio Retrosi sustained a wrist-injury going after a line drive.
Italy opens on Tuesday vs. Puerto Rico, while Mexico then opens vs. Venezuela.
(November 7)
| 
