CPBLRiding the right arm of Pan "Du Du" Wei-luen, the President Lions cruised past the Sinon Bulls 8-1 in Tainan Saturday to extend their winning streak in Taiwan's Chinese Professional Baseball League to a recording-breaking 13 games.
The right-hander out of the Fu Jen Catholic University took a three-hit shutout two outs into the eighth before surrendering a solo homer to Bulls outfielder Chang Jein-ming on a change-up that landed in the left-center bleachers.
Pan managed to shake off the late-game jitter and finish out strong by retiring four of the next five hitters for his third complete game of the year as he improved to a 6-2 mark.
In front of a home crowd of over 4,000, the Lions took advantage of a wild Alfredo Gonzalez in a 61-pitch third that had the Bulls starter walking four on top of allowing a single, a double and a bases clearing three-run triple by third baseman Shih Jin-dien for a 4-0 lead. After Chang's solo blast made it 4-1 in the top of the eighth, the home cats added four more runs with two singles, a double and another triple off two different Bulls relievers.
Offensively for the Lions, six of their 10 hits went for extra bases -- a rare phenomenon for a team not known for its power.
The win kept the Lions on pace with the league-leading La New Bears who won on Thursday and Friday for a half-game lead over the Lions with six games remaining in the first half.
Taking the loss for the Bulls was Gonzalez who fell to 7-5.
Whales 4, Cobras 6
A 4-for-8 batting with men in scoring position propelled the Cobras Cobras to a 6-4 win over the Chinatrust Whales in Luodong Saturday, snapping their four-game losing skid.
Outhit by the Whales 10-7, the Cobras made every hit count.
Veteran catcher Wu Jau-hui's two-run single capped a four-run third inning that put the Cobras up 6-1 in a game they never trailed.
Even though the Whales made it interesting by plating three runs in the top of the sixth on four straight singles off Cobras starter Chen Jia-hong and a base hit against reliever Lee Ming-jin to make 6-4, the Cobras were able to stop any further damage with Lee retiring the last six batters he faced.
Felix Villegas of Puerto Rico pitched a scoreless ninth to preserve the win for Chen for the rookie righty's first career victory.
Whales starter Kao Jien-san (2-4) was tagged with the loss for allowing all six of the Cobras runs over the first three innings on five hits and three walks. Kao has not won a game since early-April.
Major Leagues
Daryle Ward scored the go-ahead run on Jose Guillen's eighth-inning triple and the Washington Nationals overcame a seven-run deficit to beat the New York Yankees 11-9 in interleague play Saturday.
The Nationals trailed 9-2 after the Yankees' seven-run fifth inning, which included Johnny Damon's second grand slam of the year. But four runs in the fifth, two in the seventh and three in the eighth made New York blow a seven-run lead for the first time since 2002.
Mariano Rivera (4-4), who entered the game with one out and one on in the eighth, took the loss. The tying run scored when Alfonso Soriano stole second and third, with a wayward throw to third by catcher Jorge Posada allowing Soriano to come home.
Ward, who entered the game in the third inning for Nick Johnson (strained back), then walked. Guillen followed with a triple to right center, and Ward -- known more for his hitting than his speed -- legged his way home well ahead of the throw.
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