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Tsai shines as Bears win

La New Bears rookie right-hander Tsai Ying-fong tossed a no-hitter until two outs into the sixth inning to help lead his team past the Chinatrust Whales in a 3-2 win at Kaohsiung Stadium on Sunday night. PHOTO: CHANG CHUNG-YI, TAIPEI TIMES

Tsai Ying-fong pitched no-hit ball until two outs into the sixth inning to help lead the La New Bears past the Chinatrust Whales in a 3-2 win at Kaohsiung on Sunday night.

The rookie right-hander had been under the weather all week long, but still rose to the occasion on the mound to finish six magnificent innings with just one hit for his eleventh win of the season.

Pan Chung-wei's solo homer off Whales starter Su Tseh-yi in the bottom of the fourth put the home Bears ahead 1-0. They tacked on two more runs in the seventh with second baseman Chiang Chih-tsong's RBI single and catcher Chen Fong-min's sacrifice fly to make it 3-0.

The two seventh-inning runs proved to be vital for the Bears as the Whales struck for two runs against ace closer Ramon Morel in the top of the ninth to make it interesting late in the game.

That was as close as the Whales would get as Morel quickly regrouped and retired the final two Whales to secure the Bears win.

Su took the loss, allowing a respectable three runs on six hits over six-plus innings in another quality start. Nevertheless, Su was the victim of a lack of run support to lose for only the second time this year.

Offensively for the Bears, three different players had multi-hit outings on the night, led by Chiang's 2-for-3 effort with an RBI.

Lions 6, Elephants 5

Homers lit up the Tainan sky on Sunday night on the Brother Elephants' visit to the President Lions as the two teams combined for six long balls in a 26-hit slugfest before the Lions escaped with a narrow 6-5 home victory.

For a moment, the Elephants -- winners of two impressive come-from-behind wins over the Whales earlier last week -- seemed ready to pull off another late-game comeback with runners on second and third and one out in a 6-4 game. Things looked promising for the pachyderms when Peng "Chia Chia" Cheng-min's sacrifice fly to right off reliever Lin Yueh-ping actually got his team to be within one run of the Lions with a runner on third and red-hot swinger Chen "the Golden Warrior" Chih-yuan due up at the plate.

But after Chen fouled off several pitches from Lin, he finally grounded out to short to end the game, stranding the tying run at third.

Lions starter Pan "Du Du" Wei-luen collected his twelfth win of the year by pitching six innings of three-run ball for the home cats. He gave up nine hits and fanned five in another quality start.

He had fellow outfielder Liu Fu-hao to thank for his "W" because the third-year speedster's 3-for-4 batting scored three runs with on a homer and two RBIs. Liu also sparkled in the field with a diving catch in the ninth that saved at least one run.

Brother starter Wu Bao-shien was hit with the loss for allowing five runs in as many innings on ten hits in a rare start. Wu is normally a reliever for the Elephants.
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