AUSTRALIA’S “THAI-TANIC” SLUGGERS SINK OPPOSITION

AUSTRALIA’S “THAI-TANIC” SLUGGERS SINK OPPOSITION

Aussie offence is relentless against Thailand.

AUSTRALIA 26 def. THAILAND 1

Glenn Williams had 3 hits and 4 RBIs against Thailand, including a 2-Run Homer as

part of Australia's 12-run third inning.

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Play-by –play recap of the Game

Score by innings

In a game they were always expected to win, Australia completely dominated baseball minnows Thailand on day four of the World Cup – pounding out a staggering 30 hits on their way to amassing a record 26 runs.

The Australians were relentless on a night where every starter had at least two hits, and eight of the starting nine drove in runs - outclassing their Thai opponents in every facet of the game.

So comprehensive was the offensive onslaught that to single out a star performer would be unjust, although few could argue that the night was particularly special for catcher Mathew Kent (5 hits) and veteran utility, Gavin Fingleson.

Fingleson finished the evening with three hits (all doubles) from his five At-Bats, and drove in five of Australia’s impressive run total.

However, in addition to his career night at the plate, the stocky right hander also figured as the winning pitcher in a game where Australia’s coaching staff was looking to rest many of their key hurlers.

“We went out and did exactly what we needed to do tonight,” Head Coach Jon Deeble said after the game.

“There is always a danger of taking games like that too lightly, but we were able to continue to execute well at the plate and were happy getting out of there without over taxing our (pitching) staff,” he said.

To their credit, Thailand continued to hustle and play hard right until the bitter end, but in reality the contest proved little more than an ideal opportunity for the Aussies to take a collective ‘breath’ after three days of intense competition.

West Australian Scott Mitchinson started on the mound for Australia and was perfect in his three innings of working – retiring all nine batters he faced, striking out three.

However, after using seven different pitchers the day before against Venezuela, it was left up to position players Fingleson and Brett Roneberg to take care of the proceeding for the remainder of the evening.

Roneberg, who was given the night off from his regular duties at first base, was particularly amused by the request for him to toe the pitching rubber.

“I don’t think I have pitched since under 18’s…except if you count a couple of times in club ball in Cairns about four year ago,” Roneberg said.

“My arm feels alright, it just doesn’t really have the strength it used to,” he said.

While the much needed respite could not have come at a better time, The Australians, who record now stands at 3-1, will look to refocus their efforts in Sunday’s vital match up with Korea at 3pm AEST.

A win against the Asian powerhouses would virtually guarantee Australia’s progression to the next stage of the tournament, and go a long way towards securing second spot in Pool B.

With reining champions Cuba expected to finish first, finishing second would likely mean the Aussies avoid playing either the USA or as yet undefeated tournament hosts Chinese Taipei in the cross-over Quarter-Finals.