Rockets win 5-4 in 10 innings, even series at one each

Williams knocks in two after Rommell's miscue opens door; Hoffman holds lead this time despite Gehrig homer

Seaview, Wash. — Matt Williams drove in three runs, two with a bases-loaded single in the top of the tenth, to lead Fremont to a 5-4 win over Seaview in game two of the Century League World Series, evening the series going into game three at Fremont Tuesday.

The Rockets took an early 2-0 lead on solo homers by Williams in the second and Mike Piazza in the fourth. Greg Maddux made that hold up until the seventh, when Lou Gehrig opened with a double, and advanced to third and home on groundouts. Sammy Sosa, who struck out his first three times up against Stanley Coveleski, homered off Firpo Marberry in the eighth to make it 3-1. Harry Heilmann knotted it at 3-3 with a two run shot off Maddux in the bottom of the eighth, following a walk to Max Bishop.

Neither team scored in the ninth, and the game went to extra innings.

Ed Rommell came on to pitch in the tenth and got Gary Sheffield on a grounder to second to start the inning. Then he walked Barry Bonds. Jeff Bagwell hit a comebacker to the mound that well could have been an inning-ending double play, but Rommell made a bad throw in the dirt to second and everyone was safe. Sosa then dribbled one to short; Joe Sewell got Sosa at first, with Bonds moving to third and Bagwell to second.

That brought Piazza to the plate. The Fremont catcher had homered earlier, was 3-for-4 in the game, and had gone 3-for-4 with a pair of homers in the opener. Having already seen enough, Seaview manager Miller Huggins elected to put Piazza on to load the bases and take his chances with Williams.

It didn't work, as Williams lined a single to left center, both Bonds and Bagwell scoring on the play. Rommell then got Craig Biggio to ground to short for the final out.

Hoffman, the loser in game one when he came in with the score tied, had a two-run cushion this time. He struck out Heilman looking to open the inning, then got Babe Ruth, who beat him with a homer in game one, on a fly ball to left. Gehrig made it 5-4 with a line drive homer into the stands in right, but Al Simmons grounded out to third to end the game.

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