Team China won two and lost one in fundraiser games

olympicbaseball May 22nd, 2008

Due to 7.9 earthquake, which epicenter was in the county of Wenchuan, Sichuan province could lead to huge disaster, the exhibition games between China Olympic Baseball Team and Golden Baseball League teams will become fundraiser.

Chinese media qiaobao also report this.

For first two game vs Long Beach Armada, both teams win one game.

Blair Field was the place to be this past weekend as the Long Beach Armada hosted the National Team from the Peoples Republic of China for two games. The weekend was originally intended to be an exhibition series—a chance for both managers to evaluate their players so that they could trim their rosters. After the devastating earthquake in China the focus shifted to fundraising and helping people across the world that desperately need it.

China came out strong in the first game, scoring four runs in the first inning behind a bases loaded triple by Feng Fei. Rik Currier, player/pitching coach, received little help defensively from his Armada teammates as the team committed four errors in the first three innings. Boo Tao pitched 4 2/3 innings for China and gave up four runs including a bases-empty home run by Steve Moss in the first inning and an RBI double to catcher David Parrish. Parrish also threw out a Chinese base runner.

The Chinese team held on for a 9-6 victory on Saturday night but couldn’t stop the Armada on Sunday. Long Beach Manager Steve Yeager cut three players after Saturday’s game, trimming the roster down to 34. Yeager needs to get down to 22 players before the season opener on May 22 in St. George, UT.

Long Beach native and Millikan H.S. alum Nick Bierbrodt took the mound for the Armada and the first ever draft pick of the Arizona Diamondbacks looked sharp as he struck out five batters during his three innings on the mound. Ryan Claypool took the hill after Bierbrodt and fanned four more Chinese hitters as the Armada won the game 5-2.

Kris Kasarijian singled and scored on a sacrifice fly from Ryan Lehr to give the Armada a 1-0 lead in the fourth inning. Marland Williams later reached base on an error and scored on an RBI single by Tony Torcato.

Steve Moss lined a two-run single in the eighth inning that highlighted a three-run rally giving Long Beach a 5-0 lead.

Feng Fei singled in two runs in the top of the ninth inning for China. Fei had five RBIs in the series, including a bases-loaded triple in the first inning on Saturday.

Andrew Layfield threw two scoreless innings for the Armada, while Brandon Buxbaum pitched the ninth inning and allowed the two China runs.

You can see some decent photo by Mark.

For the third game vs. Yuma Scorpions, Team China also win.

Before Wednesday’s exhibition between the Yuma Scorpions and the Chinese Olympic team at Desert Sun Stadium, there was a moment of silence to honor the victims of the earthquake that struck central China last week.

That moment meant a lot to the Chinese team – and the $1,100 the Scorpions raised in an auction of a autographed Chinese team jersey meant even more.

“It was really nice that the Scorpions would raise money for it,” Chinese team Jim Lefebvre said. “And for them to bring awareness to it with the moment of silence, we really appreciate it. It was very moving to the players.”

The gestures were especially meaningful to pitcher Chen Ku and right fielder Fen Fei, who both had family in the region at the time of the quake, Lefebvre said.

“They were concerned,” Lefebvre said. “We were all concerned about that. Chen Kun’s parents were okay, but he couldn’t get communication to his wife for a couple days, so there was some concern. But everything was okay.”

Chen did not pitch in the game Wednesday, but Fen had a two-run double in the first inning, giving the Chinese a lead they would never relinquish in a 6-3 win.

The team has been in the United States since early April practicing and scrimmaging against American teams. A 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck the Sichuan province May 12. The death toll is approximately 10,000.

Lefebvre said he gave the players the opportunity to return home, but none took him up on the offer.

Before coming to Yuma, the Chinese team split two games with the Scorpions’ Golden Baseball League foe Long Beach. The Armada held a similar auction to raise money.

Lefebvre said the earthquake puts everything the team is doing in perspective.

“We’re over here in a very festive mood, and everybody is working hard, then something like this comes along, it just takes all the shine off what we’re doing,” Lefebvre said. “You realize baseball is secondary when it comes to human life.”