TOKYO (AP) — Australia opened the World Baseball Classic on Thursday by beating Taiwan 3-0 on Robbie Perkins' two-run homer in the fifth inning and Travis Bazzana's homer in the seventh at the Tokyo Dome.
The two big swings were enough in a tight game dominated by pitching on both sides. Taiwan managed only three hits, and Australia had seven.
It was a critical victory for Australia, which also won its first game in 2023, defeating South Korea enroute
to reaching the quarterfinals and a narrow 4-3 loss to Cuba.
Australian starter Alex Wells pitched three no-hit innings with Jack O'Loughlin negotiating the next three and allowing only two hits and setting the stage for the bullpen.
O'Laughlin got the victory with a save for Jon Kennedy. Po-Yu Chen was the losing pitcher.
Following Perkins' homer, Taiwan put two runners on in the sixth with two out but failed to score. The second to reach base was Chieh-hsien Chen who was hit by a pitch on the his right hand and left the game.
Australia loaded the bases in the bottom of the sixth and failed to score when Chris Burke popped out on the second pitch from reliever Yi Chang.
Bazzana, who is expected to start in Triple A this season in the Cleveland Guardians farm system, added the insurance run on a towering shot to right field. Bazzana was the first pick in the 2024 MLB amateur draft.
Taiwan put two runners on the top of the ninth and almost tied the game on a deep flyout by Lyle Lin.
In the second Group C game later in Tokyo, South Korea faced the Czech Republic. Defending champion Japan opens play in Group C on Friday against Taiwan.
The top two teams in the group advance to the quarterfinals in the United States, joining the top two in the other three groups.
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