1-3-1 in Australia.....

NT:
The NT dropped the last game of the series against the Perth Heat on Monday. The NT lost 3-1 but received a strong start from En-Yu Lin (Rakuten Eagles) who allowed only 1 run on 1 hit over 5 IP - he also had 8 K's and 5 walks. Fu-Te Ni (CT Whales) followed Lin with 2 scoreless innings, K'ing 4. Taking the loss for the NT was Sung-Wei Tseng (Cleveland Indians) who allowed a 2-run HR in the 8th inning to break a 1-1 tie. Despite the loss, the team outhit its opponent 7-4. Collecting the hits for Taiwan were: Chien-Ming Chang (3-4), Yi-Chuan Lin (1-4 double), Kuo-Hui Lo (1-4), and Chih-Hsien Chiang (2-4 RBI). Box/Play-By-Play

With World Cup play just around the corner, the overall performance of the NT in Australia has to be disappointing. Aside from En-Yu Lin and Fu-Te Ni, the pitching staff was underwhelming. MLB farmhands Kuo-Hui Lo and Chih-Hsien Chiang made a strong statement in Australia with their play, but established CPBL stars CM Peng and TS Chang were virtually non-existent with their bats. The NT will receive a shot in the arm once CH Hsieh (Cobras), CS Yang (Fighters), and CFC/CS Lin/FM Chen (Bears) or WL Pan/KC Kao/WH Pan/CK Kao (Lions) join the team.

The NT will play the NT's of a few countries (majority from group B in the WC) in a final tuneup for the World Cup beginning 10/31:
1)Oct. 31st - vs. Italy
2)Nov. 1st - vs. Australia
3)Nov. 2nd - vs. Cuba
4)Nov. 3rd - vs. Netherlands

Here's a look at Taiwan's upcoming schedule in World Cup play. Taiwan is in group A and will face:
1)Nov. 6th - Italy
2)Nov. 8th - South Africa
3)Nov. 9th - Japan
4)Nov. 10th - Spain
5)Nov. 11th - Mexico
6)Nov. 13th - Panama
7)Nov. 14th - USA
The top 4 teams from group A & B will then advance to the quarterfinals.