BEIJING -- John Gall hit a go-ahead solo homer to start the sixth, Brandon Knight struck out five in 6 1/3 strong innings, and the U.S. baseball team beat Taiwan 4-2 on Tuesday night.
Dexter Fowler, batting ninth for the Americans, missed hitting for the cycle by a home run. His sixth-inning double against Taiwan reliever Lee Chen-chang gave the U.S. a two-run cushion.
Next up for the United States is a date Wednesday night with medal favorite Japan in the final preliminary contest -- Game No. 7 -- before Friday's semifinals.
Lin Chih-sheng homered to start seventh for Taiwan (1-5), which had broken a scoreless tie in the fifth when U.S. first baseman Matt Brown booted a hard-hit grounder by Shih Chih-wei for an error that allowed Lin to score from third.
