Nine early runs paved the way as the La New Bears roughed up the Brother Elephants 10-4 at the Kaohsiung County Baseball Stadium on Friday night to open their three-game weekend series on a high note.
The win nipped a two-game slide for the Bears and left them sharing the league’s lead with the Uni-President Lions.
Starter Hsu Wen-hsiung held the Elephants to three runs on seven hits over six innings for a second straight quality start and his third win of the season.
Slugger Chen Chin-fong had three RBIs on a 2-for-4 night, championing a Bears attack that rang up 14 hits off four Elephants hurlers. The former Major Leaguer also took over the lead in total RBIs with 32 in the 31contests that he had played this season.
Elephants starter Kobayashi Ryokan had a dismal outing that only lasted one-and-a-third innings with five allowed runs on eight hits in his third straight setback.
LIONS 9, BULLS 6
Uni-President Lions batters had 18 hits in a 9-6 triumph at the Taipei County Baseball Stadium in Sinjhuang on Friday night.
Four players had three-hit games for the Lions, led by Chuang Jing-heh. Chuang also drove in three runs for his team in his most productive outing of the season.
Bulls starter Lin Keh-chien — who came into the game with a 4-1 record — was taught a hard lesson as the rookie sensation gave up a season-high seven runs in three-plus innings before being chased in the fourth. His ERA rose more than a whole run from a solid 2.83 to 4.06.
Lions starter Mickey Callaway of the US improved to 4-2 for the year, giving up three runs on five hits in as many innings before turning to his bullpen for the finish.
OUT AGAINST INDONESIA: Taiwan reached the semi-finals at the tournament for the first time by defeating Denmark, with Chou Tien-chen beating Viktor Axelsen Taiwan yesterday crashed out of the Thomas Cup team competition in Chengdu, China, but achieved their best result at the top-tier badminton event by reaching the semi-finals. Indonesia were too good in the semis, winning 3-0 to advance to today’s final against China, who eliminated Malaysia 3-1. In the opening singles of the men’s team clash at the Hi-Tech Zone Sports Center Gymnasium 2, Anthony Ginting defeated Taiwan’s Chou Tien-chen 21-18, 21-19 in 51 minutes, which put a huge hole in Taiwan’s aspirations to perhaps even make the final. In the men’s doubles, Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Ardianto downed Lee Yang and Wang
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