Unlike the low-scoring 1-0 final in Game 1 of the 2005 USA-Taiwan Friendship Series at Tienmu on Friday, Game 2 between the American National Team and Taiwan's top amateur squad in Hsinchu on Saturday was an offensive endeavor that featured 16 runs on 20 hits between the two teams in a 9-7 victory for Taiwan.
Third baseman Feng Chien-han's one-out single off American reliever Jonah Nickerson (sophomore from the Oregon State University) with men on second and third broke a 6-6 tie in the top of the seventh that would eventually put Team Taiwan up 9-6 as catcher Li Yi-wei and second baseman Chen Chiang-ho added a ground-out RBI and another run-scoring single.
Adam Davis (sophomore second baseman from the University of Florida) cut Taiwan's lead to two with a run-scoring single off pitcher Huang Yi-che in the bottom of the seventh. But that was as close as the Americans would get as closer Kao Min-ching struck out Drew Stubbs (sophomore outfielder from the University of Texas) with runners at the corners and two outs, ending Team USA's rally in the bottom of the ninth.
Despite falling behind 1-0 in the opening inning of the contest, Team Taiwan took advantage of a wild starter in David Price (sophomore lefty out of Vanderbilt University), who surrendered four runs on a pair of hits while walking six in the first three innings.
Designated hitter Lin Yin-Chuan's two-run single off Nickerson in the top of the fourth helped put Team Taiwan ahead 6-1 before the Americans fought back with three runs in the bottom of the same inning and a two-run fifth, all off struggling reliever Chen Ming-hao, to even things up at 6-6.
"There is no doubt that we adjusted well at the plate as far as our hitters' getting used to their pitcher's rhythm in the early going," Taiwan head coach Yeh Chih-shien said after the game. "That's why we were able to put up those runs."
"But many of our big guns still haven't come through for us as we had hoped," Yeh added.
Typhoon Haitang caused two games for yesterday in Tienmu to be cancelled, which means the two clubs will play Game 3 tonight before tomorrow's day-night doubleheader to close out the five-game series, weather permitting.
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