Kuo Dai-yong's clutch single with a runner on second scored the go-ahead run in the top of the ninth and Kevin Tolar retired the heart of the La New Bears order to preserve the 6-5 win for the Chinatrust Whales in Kaohsiung on Thursday evening.
The timely single by Kuo was his third hit on a 3-for-5 night, giving him the game-MVP honor.
Down by a run, the home Bears made things interesting in the bottom of the ninth by placing runners on first and second with one out and cleanup hitter Chen Chin-fong who homered earlier in the game at the plate facing Tolar.
But the American closer was able to shake off the late-inning pressure by striking out Chen before getting Lin Chih-sheng to fly out to right to record his second win of the season.
The see-saw battle featured four lead-changes that saw the hosts draw first blood in the bottom of the second when Chen Chin-fong jump-started the Bears attack with a solo blast off Whales starter Su Tseh-yi.
After the Whales managed to tie things up in the top of the fourth with Hsu Ren-jeh's sacrifice fly off Bears starter Gary Rath, the Bears reclaimed a 2-1 advantage in the fifth on Yu chin-deh's RBI single.
A throwing error by Bears shortstop Lin Chih-sheng on a would-be, inning-ending double play, coupled with three singles by the Whales translated into a four-run sixth for the home side as they took a 5-3 lead.
The Bears scored a run in the sixth before picking up two more in the seventh on consecutive scoring singles off Whales reliever Shen Yu-jeh to force the third tie of the game at 5-5, setting the stage for Kuo's ninth-inning heroics.
Cobras 7, Elephants 3
Wang Chuan-jia batted a perfect 3-for-3 with three RBIs to back up starter Chang Hsien-chih as the Macoto Cobras beat the Brother Elephants 7-3 in Douliou on Thursday night.
A chopper through the middle by Ivanon Coffie broke a 1-1 tie in the top of the fifth to give the visiting Cobras a 2-1 lead only to see the Elephants counter with a pair of runs in the bottom of the inning on Chen Chih-hong's two-run single to make it 3-2.
The lead lasted less than an innings as the Cobras capitalized on a throwing error that ended up sparking a three-run sixth to regain a 5-3 cushion.
Wang's two-run double in the eighth made it 7-3 and that was how it ended.
Chang was credited with the win to improve to 7-4 for the year, allowing three runs (only one earned) on seven hits in as many innings.
Offensively for the Cobras, Lin "Wild Hog" Hong-yuan extended his hitting streak to 11 games. The veteran slugger, who was released by the President Lions during the offseason, has made the most of his second chance with the Cobras by maintaining a .359 average, the third best in the league.
Jobe Bellingham on Tuesday admitted to having “anxieties” on following in brother Jude’s footsteps after joining Borussia Dortmund in the summer. Jobe Bellingham, 19, is two years younger than Jude Bellingham, who joined Real Madrid in 2023 after three years at Dortmund. A centerpiece of the England national team, Jude Bellingham has emerged as one of the best players in the world in recent seasons. The younger Jobe Bellingham joined Dortmund in June from Sunderland after their promotion to the English Premier League. He admitted he understood what the perception would be ahead of the move to Germany. “It’s something you do think about.
Before Tuesday’s 7-2 win at the Atlanta Braves, Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy suggested “most people couldn’t tell you five players on our team.” A look at the standings would indicate more Brewers players soon will be recognized by more fans. After all, it is difficult to overlook a team that not only continues to extend their lead in the National League Central, but also boasts the best record in the majors. “What we’re doing in here right now is special,” right-handed pitcher Freddy Peralta said after allowing only four hits and one run in five innings, while setting a career high with
A baseball team from New Taipei City won the US Pony Palomino Division World Series yesterday in Laredo, Texas, defeating the US West representative team from Azusa, California, 2-1. Ku-Pao Home Economics and Commercial High School earned the right to represent Taiwan in the Pony Palomino (17 to 18 age group) World Series after winning this year's Wang Chen-chih Cup, a competition named after Taiwanese-Japanese baseball legend Wang Chen-chih (王貞治), also known as Sadaharu Oh. In the championship game against Azusa, Ku-Pao's starting pitcher Luo Yu-yan (羅于晏) was erratic early, giving up two hits in the bottom of the first inning, followed
NEXT ROUND: World No. 1s Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka opened their title defenses with straight-sets wins, while Iga Swiatek and Taylor Fritz also advanced Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka got their title defenses off to smooth starts as they powered into the third round of the ATP-WTA Cincinnati Open on Saturday. The men’s and women’s top seeds, each ranked No. 1 in the world, were both competing for the first time since Wimbledon, where Sinner lifted the title and Sabalenka bowed out in the women’s semi-finals. Sinner crushed Colombian Daniel Elahi Galan 6-1, 6-1 in steamy afternoon weather, while Sabalenka beat 2023 Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova 7-5, 6-1 under the lights of the night session. Sabalenka needed 54 minutes and a service break in the final game
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