Titans Baseball Club - Philippines

MANILA - The Philippine National Team parlayed a
controversial series of pitch counts with three Titans
defensive miscues in the fifth and sixth innings for
an eleven-run outburst and a deceiving 13-2 victory
over the Titans All-Stars as the Philippine Amateur
Baseball Association's "Battle of Champions" Series
resumed at the famed Rizal Memorial Baseball Stadium
last Saturday.

With righthander Arvin Cirunay baffling the Nationals
with some nasty sliders and curveballs, the Titans
merely trailed 2-0 thru the first four innings before
things unraveled in the decisive fifth inning.

After giving up a couple of runs to open the fifth,
Titans second-sacker Kishii Kho booted an
inning-ending double play ball that prolonged the
inning. One out later and the bases loaded, RP [3B
Virgilio Roxas] battled back from an 0-2 count against
Cirunay with the help of erroneously called strikes by
umpire Kiko Ramos -- who coincidentally was a role
member of the National Team a few years back -- for a
bases-clearing double and things continued downhill.
Outfielder Chad Garcia's error allowed two more runs
to score to give the Nats a commanding 9-0 lead.

Another Titans defensive lapse in the sixth coupled
with what was already a controversial strike zone
plated another four Nats in the sixth before the
orangemen finally got on the board with CF Donnely
Edmonds' two-out two-run double off Nats hurler Ernesto Binarao.

"... the strike zone was so small, low and
inconsistent... everyone was swinging at balls in the
dirt" said a furious Titans SS Bacchus Ledesma. His
sentiments were echoed throughout the park.

Unfortunately the damage had already been done -- one
that probably did more disgrace than honor to
Philippine baseball.