Ivanon Coffie's three-run blast in the top of the fifth turned a 3-2 deficit into a 5-3 lead as the Macoto Cobras managed to hold on to beat the Chinatrust Whales by the same margin in Sinjhuang on Saturday for their league-leading 20th win of the season.
The Dutch slugger, who joined the Cobras at the start of the season, upped his home run total to seven with the three-run shot off Whales staff ace Tseng Jau-hao, providing his team with the game-clinching runs.
Tseng Han-chou's two-run double off Macoto starter Kleber Ojima in the bottom of the first gave the marine creatures a quick 2-0 lead.
The league leaders then answered back with two runs of their own on Kao Wei's two-run homer in the top of the second to tie the game at 2-all.
Gee Jung-lin's RBI-groundout to third in the bottom of the second propelled the Whales ahead by a run in what looked like the beginning of a slugfest.
But that was not the case as the pitchers finally gained control of the game to give up three combined runs the rest of the way.
Chen Jia-hong entered in relief of Ojima in the third and effectively shut down the Whales' bats over the next four scoreless innings on three hits.
Setup man Lee Ming-jin and closer Travis Minix then teamed up for three more shutout innings to preserve the win for Chen.
Suffering his second loss of the year was Tseng Jau-hao, who served up two or more homers for the third time this year.
Offensively for the serpents, Kao's two-RBI effort gave the second-year third baseman at least one RBI in eight straight games for a new team mark.
Kuo Ming-ren of the Cobras extended his hitting-streak to six consecutive at-bats to tie the team's club record.
Bears 3, Elephants 1
Gary Rath pitched seven-and-a-third innings of one-run ball and Jiang Chih-tsong went 2-for-4 with an RBI to help the La New Bears down the Brother Elephants 3-1 in Tianmu on Saturday night.
The US southpaw outpitched compatriot Joey Dawley of the Elephants, who had a one-hitter and an 1-0 lead through the first six innings.
The Bears finally came up with three unanswered runs to deal Dawley just his second defeat of the year.
Chen Huai-shan's solo home runn off Rath in the opening frame sent the Elephants ahead with a 1-0 lead.
But that was all the runs that the Elephants would muster in the game as the Bears pitching effectively kept the Elephants lineup at bay with another quality start from Rath.
Rath was helped out by one-and-two-thirds innings of hitless relief by Tsai Ying-fong and Huang Jung-chung, who preserved the fifth win of the year for the starter.
Offensively for the victorious Bears, Tseng Hao-jui's sacrifice-fly with the bases loaded in the top of the seventh broke Dawley's shutout bid in a 1-1 game.
Jiang's sharp liner up the middle then delivered La New's second run of the contest to lead 2-1.
Shih Chih-wei then added an insurance run off Dawley with two outs in the eighth to put the game away.
It was a disappointing loss for Dawley, whose eight innings of three-run ball should have warranted a win, but the Elephants offensive failed to come through.
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