Erupting for eight runs in the bottom of the eighth inning, the Macoto Cobras overcame a five-run deficit to beat the President Lions by a 9-6 decision at Tianmu on Sunday evening to close out a four-game week with a 3-1 record.
Trailing 6-1 heading in the bottom of the eighth, the serpents more than batted around the order by sending 13 men to the plate against four different Lions hurlers to put up eight runs on the board for a 9-6 lead and the eventual win.
Chen Yuan-jia's two-out double off the leftfield wall brought both runners home to tie the game at 6-6 for the Cobras before game MVP Kuo Ming-ren followed with a two-run single two batters later to knock in the go-ahead runs, completing the biggest comeback rally in the league this season.
PHOTO: LIN CHUNG-KUNG, TAIPEI TIMES
It was the second time in three games that Kuo took home game MVP honors for rapping the game-winning hit. The earlier winner came during in the Cobras 12-11 win over the Brother Elephants on Friday night.
The third-year shortstop out of the National Taitung University Affiliated Physical Education Senior High School went an incredible 8-for-14 with five RBIs in the three-game span.
The Lions scored two-runs in the first, fourth, and fifth innings to build a comfortable 6-0 advantage.
Back-to-back solo homers by hot Lions slugger Tilson Brito of the Dominican Republic and designated hitter Chen Lien-hong in the top of the fifth had most Lions fans thinking it would be an easy win.
Instead, it was the Cobras who enjoyed the last laugh with a record-tying eight-run inning that spoiled what had seemed a sure win for Lions starter Jerome Robertson. Robertson took a perfect game two outs into the sixth inning before surrendering his first base hit of the game in what ended up being a no-decision for the US lefty.
Taking the win was Cobras reliever Lee Ming-jin, who pitched a scoreless eighth on one hit before closer Travis Minix preserved the victory by getting the last three outs in game for his second save of the season.
Swallowing the disheartening loss was Shen, who served up base hits to all three of the Cobras batters he faced for three earned runs in a blown save opportunity.
Whales 9, Bulls 5
After scoring nine runs on the night in a 9-5 win over the Sinon Bulls at Sinjhuang on Sunday, the Chinatrust Whales quietly took a two-game set from the Bulls for the fifth win in their last six games.
Veteran slugger and team captain Tseng Han-chou led by example with a three-run blast off Bulls starter Tsai Chung-nan in the bottom of the first inning to give his club a 3-1 lead.
The Bulls would answer with a run of their own in the top of the second on Yeh Jung-chang's RBI single that scored Cheng Jau-han, who led off the inning with a triple off Whales starter Kao Jien-san to make it 3-2.
However, the Whales doubled their offensive output by the end of the third with a pair of runs in the second inning and Huang Kwei-yu's solo home run in the bottom of the third to make it 6-2.
After the Whales tacked on three more runs in the sixth on Wang Yi-min's two-run double and Huang's run-scoring single to blow the game wide open, the Bulls managed to plate three meaningless runs to make the rout more slightly more respectable.
Kao notched his first win of the season by giving up two runs on seven hits over five decent innings to beat his counterpart Tsai, who was replaced in the second after allowing five runs on seven hits in a forgettable outing.
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