U.S. baseball team advances in Netherlands tournament

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Ryan Jackson of Miami went 2-for-3 with two RBIs, and Stephen Strasburg of San Diego struck out 11 batters over 7 innings today as the USA baseball team defeated the Chinese-Taipei national team 5-2 in a semifinal game during Haarlem Baseball Week in the Netherlands.

The U.S. is now 13-0 on its 2008 tour and will go up against Cuba in Sunday’s championship game. First pitch is scheduled for 6 a.m. PDT.

Jackson scored the first run for the U.S. with a bases-loaded sacrifice fly in the bottom of the second. Ryan Lipkin of Vacaville followed with an RBI single to cap the two-run second. The U.S. got two more runs in the third on an RBI single from Cal State Fullerton’s Josh Fellhauer of Rancho Cucamonga and Jackson’s RBI fielder’s choice.

Kendal Volz out of Baylor Univesity worked around a two-out walk in the ninth for his fourth save in six games in this tournament.

Strasburg moved to 2-0 on the tour, allowing four hits and one walk.

Lipkin finished the game 2-for-4 with an RBI, while Cal State Fullerton’s Jared Clark, who’s from Castaic, was 1-for-2 with two walks and two runs scored.

-- Debbie Goffa