Chinese Taipei looked strong and energized today in Douliou in their second consecutive victory in the last round of Olympic qualifiers, defeating Mexico 6-1 behind a strong combined effort from pitchers Yang Chien-Fu, Cheng Kai-Wen, and Lo Chia-Jen.  Yang used his heavy slider and sinker to scatter five hits over five innings, surrendering only one run.  Cheng earned a hold in relief with 3 1/3 scoreless innings of his own, while Lo slammed the door shut.  

The sellout crowd in Yunlin county was raucous, and the win came on the heels of a 10-run victory for Chinese Taipei over Spain last night which got heated after Spain accused Taiwan of running up the score and poor sportsmanship when Seattle Mariners minor-league prospect Lo Kuo-Hui stole second with a 10-run lead.  First Baseman Peng Chen-Min, OF Chang Chieh-Ming, and 3B Chang Tai-Shan all had two RBI for Taiwan, who played aggressively and made several stellar defensive plays. Boston Red Sox prospect Lin Chieh-Hsuan made a fantastic diving catch in the 9th inning to punctuate the victory.

For Mexico, it was their second loss in two straight games.  Former Yankee Karim Garcia kept things interesting when he petulantly threw his bat about 15 feet in the air after a walk, but that was about all the fireworks for a team without much speed and below average pitching had to offer.  Taiwan had to be encouraged by the tenacity with which their team played.  Lo Kuo-Hui and Lin Che-Hsuan looked particularily sharp and make a formidable outfield duo.  If their roll keeps up, look for them in Beijing in 2008.