The one hour rain delay only put off the inevitable for the Beijing Tigers.
Winless in four games at the World Baseball Challenge heading into Wednesday's afternoon game against Chinese Taipei, the dark clouds looming over Citizen Field brought more bad news for China's top club team.
Behind a three-hit attack from shortstop Po Ting Hsiao and eight solid innings from starter Yu Ching Lin, Chinese Taipei rolled over the Tigers 7-2 to improve their tournament record to 3-1.
Chinese Taipei scored three runs on four hits in the second inning and Hsiao added to the total to lead off the fourth inning, knocking a Quingyuan Meng pitch over the wall to make it a 5-0 game. The team also known as Taiwan added runs in the sixth and seventh innings before the Tigers finally got to Lin. Chen Li delivered three hits in four plate appearances and Zeyuan Li smacked a home run in the eighth inning with Chen Li on base for the only the Tigers could muster as they fell to 0-5.
Meng took the loss, throwing 79 pitches while giving up four runs and eight hits through four innings. Lin was credited with victory, allowing just five hits.
The night game between Canada and Toshiba-Japan started one hour late and after falling behind 5-0, Team Canada was probably wishing the rain that brought on a half-hour delay in the third inning would have wiped the slate clean.
It only got worse when the game resumed for six-foot-eight Canadian starting pitcher Brett Lawson of Mississauaga, Ont. His rough outing turned into an absolute nightmare when Toshiba added three more runs in the third inning. Lawson gave up six hits, allowed four walks, and was charged with seven unearned runs. Corey Wood of Kelowna took over with nobody out in the third and gave up one more run.
Toshiba starter Takashi Fujita had allowed just one hit and the Japanese squad took an 11-0 into the fourth inning.
In today's games, the Bahamas plays Cuba at 3 p.m., followed at 7 p.m. by the Canada versus Chinese Taipei game.
