Hunter Earns Win for USA National Team
7/5/2006 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
PAWTUCKET, R.I. -- University of Alabama freshman right-hander Tommy Hunter (Indianapolis, Ind.) had a Fourth of July to remember on Tuesday night as he pitched the USA National Team to a 1-0 victory over Chinese Taipei in front of 8,525 fans Tuesday night at McCoy Stadium.
Hunter (1-0) struck out five of the six batters he faced in two innings to earn the win.
Sean Doolittle (Virginia) fresh off a plane just minutes prior to the game, delivered the game-winning hit with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning to provide the winning margin.
Doolittle left the team early Sunday morning to attend the Brooks Wallace Award Banquet, in which he was one of three finalists, in Lubbock, Texas, and did not rejoin the squad until minutes prior to the 6:05 p.m. ET first pitch.
He came into the game at first base in the eighth inning and had his lone at-bat in the ninth. Julio Borbon (Tennessee) led off the frame with a walk and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Jemile Weeks (Miami).
Taipei brought in a relief pitcher to face third baseman Pedro Alvarez (Vanderbilt), and got him to fly out to shallow right. A balk moved Borbon to third and Doolittle then delivered a shot over the leftfielder's head to win the game.
The game was a classic pitcher's duel as both starters fared well on the mound.
USA starter David Price (Vanderbilt) pitched seven shutout innings, striking out 10 while allowing just three hits and a walk.
Taipei starter Sung Wei Tseng pitched five scoreless innings for Chinese Taipei. He allowed only two hits while striking out four in the no-decision.
Taipei reliever Lin Ko Chien was charged with the loss.
Taipei threatened to score with two outs in the top of the sixth with a runner at second, but shortstop Zack Cozart (Ole Miss) made a diving stop of designated hitter Chang En Huang's grounder up the middle and threw him out to end the inning.
There was a 31-minute rain delay with one out in the bottom of the sixth with the contest tied at 0-0.
The US and Chinese Taipei will continue their seven-game friendship series on Thursday at Coastal Federal Field in Myrtle Beach, S.C.
