The Makoto Gida completed its three-game series sweep of the Brother Elephants in a seesaw battle that featured four lead-changes in Hsinchuan last night.
The final score of 7-6 in favor of the home team not only extended their winning streak to three games, it also further exposed the defending champion's weakness in the Elephant's lack of quality starting pitching.
The game began with the Elephants jumping to an early 3-0 lead on top of the third, before the Gida put two runs on the board in the bottom of the same inning to make it 3-2.
After three quick outs in the top of the fourth, the Gida managed to tie the game at three apiece on third baseman Chang Tsun-kwei's (張琮貴) one-run double.
The Elephants responded in the next inning, as third baseman Wang Chin-yong's (王金勇) sacrifice fly gave them back the lead. Down 4-3, the Gida tied the game at four-all again in the bottom of the fifth.
Left fielder Chen Bao-hong's (陳保宏) two RBI's for the game gave his team some breathing room in the sixth and the seventh.His solo shot in the sixth gave the Gida the lead for the first time in the game at 5-4, and his two-out single in the seventh made it 6-4.
The doggedly determined Elephants did not fold after Chen's outstanding offensive effort, as they tied the score at 6-6 again in the eighth behind four solid hits off Gida reliever Yang Chi-chia (楊騏嘉).
With one out in the bottom of the ninth, Gida shortstop Nonogaki Takeshi took second on a one-out double off Elephant closer Hsiao Ren-wen (
Gida reliever Yang took the win after he failed to hold the lead for his team, while his counterpart, Hsiao, suffered his second straight loss in as many nights.
Bulls 11, Agan 0
In Kaohsiung, the visiting Sinon Bulls continued their mastery against the home First Securities Agan in an 11-0 affair.
Bulls starter Jeffery Louis Andra of the United States pitched six solid innings en route to his first victory of the season.
The loss extended the Agan scoring drought to 19 straight innings, a mark that manager Hsu Shan-ming (徐生明) would rather forget as his team took another ruthless beating in front of a home crowd of over 3000.
The Agan have today off to regroup before they will visit the red-hot Makoto Gida tomorrow in Hsinchuang.
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