Geisler (1-0) came on in relief in the third inning with the U.S. trailing 5-0 and two men on base and held Taipei to just one unearned run over the final 6 1/3 innings. Geisler struck out 11 batters and walked none while giving up six hits.
Taipei took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first, scoring on a single by first baseman Kun-Yu Wen and on an RBI single by shortstop Tzu-Wei Lin. Taipei would later load the bases in the inning, but U.S. starter Ricky Jacquez (El Paso, Texas) struck out Jyun-Long Jhang swinging to end the threat.
Left fielder Ching-Yu Tseng added an RBI single in the top of the third to put Chinese Taipei up 3-0. The U.S. then made three costly errors in the inning, leading to five unearned runs as Chinese Taipei took an 8-0 lead.
The Americans got on the board in the bottom half of the third. Center fielder JoMarcos Woods (Orlando, Fla.) lined a two-out double to left to get the inning going. Left fielder Austin Cousino (Dublin, Ohio) then blasted the first pitch he saw to deep center for a two-run homer, cutting the Chinese Taipei lead to 8-2.
The U.S. added four runs in the bottom of the fourth to close the gap to 8-6. Second baseman Kevin Kramer (Turlock, Calif.) lined a leadoff double into the left-field corner to start the inning. After advancing to third on a groundout by catcher Evan Powell (Lake Charles, La.), Kramer scored on an error by Tzu-Wei Lin. Right fielder Albert Almora reached on the error by Lin and showed great hustle to slide safely into second. Two batters later, Jacquez laced a stand-up, RBI triple to right-center to score Almora. Geisler followed with an RBI single to right to bring in Jacquez. Woods then capped the frame with an RBI triple to left to plate Geisler.
A three-run fifth inning gave the U.S. its first lead at 9-8. Shortstop Francisco Lindor (Clermont, Fla.) doubled to center to begin the frame. Kramer followed with a double of his own to score Lindor. Powell was then hit by a pitch before he and Kramer pulled off a double steal. Almora then brought Kramer and Powell home with a two-run single through the right side.
The U.S. added a pair of runs in the bottom of the sixth to push its lead to 11-8. Geisler would walk and advance to second on a failed pickoff attempt to start the inning. Woods then singled through the left side to give the Americans runners on the corners. Cousino then lined the first pitch he saw to left-center for a two-run double.
Cousino finished 2-for-5 with a home run, a double, four RBIs and a run scored to lead the U.S. at the plate. Woods went 3-for-4 with a triple, a double, an RBI and two runs scored, Kramer was 2-for-4 with a pair of doubles, an RBI and two runs scored, and Almora finished 1-for-4 with three RBIs and a run scored. Geisler was 1-for-3 with an RBI and two runs scored, while Jacquez finished 1-for-4 with a triple, an RBI and a run scored. Powell went 1-for-3 with a run scored, and Lindor was 1-for-4 with a double and a run scored.
Kramer's two doubles tied the 16U National Team single-game record.
Chao-Wei Yu suffered the loss for Chinese Taipei after giving up three runs on three hits in a 1/3 of an inning.
With the win, Team USA advances to the semifinals to face Mexico on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. local time (6:30 a.m. EDT) at Intercontinental Stadium.
