The Dutch baseball team scored two runs against Australia on Saturday. Unfortunately for them, the Australians scored 22. This is a new Olympic high. At the middle of the first, Australia was leading 9-0. You know you want to read the play-by-play so here it is.

Fairly detailed match report in Dutch from De Nederlandse honkbalsite. And see this Canadian Press report (in English) in the Globe and Mail on the top-of-the-table Cuba v Canada game. Stubby Clapp was 1 for 3, by the way.

The Olympic News Service wrap of Saturday's action:

Men : TPE and NED eliminated from medal round
ATHENS, 21 August - Saturday saw favourites pound opponents and contenders be eliminated from medal contention.JPN vs. TPE

Chinese Taipei gave up a late lead in its second straight game, losing 4-3 in ten innings to Japan in a re-match of the Asian Olympic qualifier final.

Chinese Taipei got on the board first with a three-run home run by former national league 'Most Valuable Player' PENG Cheng-Min (TPE) off Japanese pitcher Koji UEHARA.

In the seventh inning Yoshinobu TAKAHASHI (JPN) of the Japanese League Yomiuri Giants club smashed a home run to left centrefield to tie the game at 3-3.

The score would stay that way until the bottom of the tenth when Michihiro OGASAWARA who hit a fly ball just deep enough to left field to allow TAKAHASHI to score the winning run on a sacrafice fly.

CUB vs. CAN

Antonio SCULL's (CUB) two-run homer boosted Cuba to a 5-2 win over Canada and secured a place in the medal round for the two-time gold medallists at the Olympic Baseball tournament today.

Designated hitter Eriel SANCHEZ (CUB), kicked off the scoring in the second inning with a double to the left field gap off starter Jason DICKSON (CAN), who had walked Ariel PESTANO (CUB) with one out. Three-time Olympian SCULL, then launched a 3-2 pitch into right field for a 3-0 Cuban lead.

Cuban starter Norberto GONZALEZ (CUB) completely shut down Canada's offence with a devastating mix of curve and fast balls. The 24-year-old pitched six scoreless innings, striking out four and giving up three wins to pick up his first win of the tournament.

NED vs. AUS

Australia erupted for nine runs in the first inning in thrashing the Netherlands 22-2 to qualify for the medal round at the Olympic Baseball Centre.

Australia's 22 runs set an Olympic baseball record for scoring in one game. The previous mark was shared by Cuba and Chinese Taipei. Cuba beat Italy 20-6 at the 1996 Games, and Chinese Taipei shut out Spain 20-0 at the 1992 Games.

Dutch pitching fell apart from the start. Second baseman Gavin FINGLESON (AUS) greeted starter Calvin MADURO (NED) with a single to open the game and MADURO never recovered. Unable to find his range and hurt by poor Dutch fielding, including two errors, MADURO gave up eight runs and four hits in just 2/3 of an inning before being yanked for Patrick BELJAARDS (NED).

The relief pitching that followed wasn't much better. Brett RONEBERG (AUS) promptly hit a two-run homer off BELJAARDS before the 12-batter inning was over, and the red-hot Australian bats added another five runs in the next inning to take a 14-1 lead.

Play was halted after seven innings per the run difference rule. In Olympic competition games are stopped if a team is leading by 10 or more runs after the seventh inning.

ITA vs. GRE

Greece outlasted Italy 12-7 in a three hour and eight minute game, which featured home run power and shoddy defence. The win was Greece’s first ever win in the Olympic baseball tournament.

Early, Italy (1-5) seemed as if it had gained some offensive confidence from Friday's comeback victory over Chinese Taipei. Jairo RAMOS GIZZI (ITA) got Italy on the board in the second inning when he crushed a home run to left centre field off Greek starter Jared THEODORAKOS.

The Italians then tacked on four more runs in the third inning to increase their advantage to 5-0.

Greece tacked on two runs in the fourth, two in the fifth and two in the sixth, one of which came on a home run by slumping power threat Clayton BELLINGER (GRE) off Italian pitcher Fabio MILANO.

After a four run seventh and a two run ninth, Greece found itself on the winning side of the score sheet for the first time in the tournament.

ONS jc/dr/sad