Agan makes mistakes but edges past Fala in Game 2

After winning a pitching duel in Game 1 on Saturday night, the Taichung Agan triumphed again over the Kaohsiung Fala in a 10-run game last night, the 6-4 win giving the Agan a 2-0 lead in the 2002 TML Championship Series.

The Agan snapped a 4-4 tie in the bottom of the sixth by scoring the go-ahead run on center fielder Huang Kao-jung's (黃高俊) sacrifice fly to deep left to make the score 5-4.

Game-MVP Agan first baseman Hsieh Chia-chien (謝佳賢) kept the heat on by adding another insurance run in the bottom of the seventh with his solo blast over the centerfield fence to give his team a two-run lead.

This lead proved to be more than ample in earning Agan starter Enrique Quintanilla the win, as relievers Huang Chin-chih (黃欽智) and Ned Darley combined to pitch two-and-2/3 innings to shut out the Fala and give their team a commanding lead in the best-of-seven series.

Nevertheless, this was not a vintage Agan performance, with the victory coming despite five errors and six walks.

Starter Quintanilla was anything but spectacular in six-and-1/3 innings, yielding four runs on eight hits. He also hit two batsmen during the game, on one occasion nearly starting a brawl.

For the Fala, the game was an uphill battle before it even began, as Jason Lakman, normally a mid-inning reliever, was called to start the game in regular starter Carlos Chavez' absence.

In an unfamiliar starting role, Lakman gave up all six of the Agan runs on eight hits and five costly walks. Chavez left the country last week to attend to a family emergency in the US and is unlikely to return for the remainder of the series.

There was yet more bad luck for the Fala, as catcher Hung Yi-chung (洪一中) had his would-be solo home run waived off and ruled a ground-rule double by the umpire in the second inning.

The questionable call in the second inning left Hung stranded on second and denied the Fala a run that would have given them a 2-1 lead at the time.

Down 2-0 in the series, the Fala must dig deep to host the Agan in Kaohsiung tomorrow night in Game 3.

It is a must-win game for the Fala, as no teams has ever come back to win the championship series from a 3-0 deficit in the history of TML.