The Uni-President Lions’ recent slide continued as they succumbed to the Sinon Bulls in a 10-8 decision at the Yilan County Baseball Stadium in Luodong on Friday night for their fifth loss in a row.
The defending champs have suddenly lost their winning edge after claiming the first-half title this season, with a 1-6 record in their seven second-half games.
Inability to win the close games is to blame as two of the six losses by the Lions have been decided by single runs and another two were decided by less than three runs.
PHOTO: CHANG CHIA-MING, TAIPEI TIMES
On Friday night, the Lions’ offense spotted Pan Jung-rong a 2-0 lead in the top of the first only to see the third-year starter squander it away giving up three runs in the bottom of the same inning and eight total runs in four-plus innings on 10 hits and three walks.
As hard as the Lions offense tried to keep the team in the game — managing three runs in the sixth and the eighth that reduced the deficit to a lone run — generous pitching made it impossible for the Lions to gain an advantage.
Trailing by two heading into the top of the ninth, the Lions put runners on first and second with no outs in what seemed a golden scoring opportunity.
But the next batter, Kao Chih-kang, popped up to right and Yang Seng hit into a game-ending double play.
Bulls starter Shoda Itsuki improved to 9-4 for the year to tie the La New Bears’ Aaron Rakers for the lead in total wins.
BEARS 15, ELEPHANTS 1
Nine second-inning runs by the La New Bears set the tone early in the game as they erupted for 15 runs on as many hits en route to a rout over the previously red-hot Brother Elephants at the Taipei County Baseball Stadium in Sinjhuang on Friday.
Chen Chin-fong and Lin Chih-sheng both homered, upping their league-leading home run totals to 19 apiece.
Shohei Ohtani and his wife arrived in South Korea with his Los Angeles Dodgers teammates yesterday ahead of their season-opening games with the San Diego Padres next week. Ohtani, wearing a black training suit and a cap backwards, was the first Dodgers player who showed up at the arrival gate of Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul. His wife, Mamiko Tanaka, walked several steps behind him. As a crowd of fans, many wearing Dodgers jerseys, shouted his name and cheered slogans, Ohtani briefly waved his hand, but did not say anything before he entered a limousine bus with his wife. Fans held placards
Taiwan’s Tai Tzu-ying yesterday advanced to the quarter-finals at the All England Open, beating Kim Ga-eun of South Korea 21-17, 21-15. With the win, Tai earned a semi-final against China’s He Bingjiao, who beat Michelle Li of Canada 21-9, 21-9. Defending champion An Se-young defeated India’s P.V. Sindhu 21-19, 21-11. An on Wednesday cruised into the second round, unlike last year’s men’s winner, Li Shifeng, who suffered a shock defeat. South Korea’s An, the world No. 1, overcame Taiwan’s Hsu Wen-chi 21-17, 21-16 to set up the match against Sindhu. In other women’s singles matches, Taiwan’s Sung Shuo-yun lost 21-18, 24-22 against Carolina Marin of
EYEING TOP SPOT: A victory in today’s final against Storm Hunter and Katerina Siniakova would return 38-year-old Hsieh Su-wei to the world No. 1 ranking Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei and Elise Mertens on Thursday secured a spot in the women’s doubles finals at the BNP Paribas Open after dispatching Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the US and Australia’s Ellen Perez 6-2, 7-6 (7/5) at Indian Wells. Hsieh and her Belgian partner Mertens, who won the Australian Open in late January, coasted through the first set after breaking their opponents’ serve twice, but found the going tougher in the second. Both pairs could only muster one break point over 12 games, neither of which were converted, leaving the set to be decided by a tiebreaker. Hsieh and Mertens took a 6-3 lead,
DOUBLES PAYBACK: Hsieh Su-wei and Elise Martens avenged their defeat in the quarters at the Qatar TotalEnergies Open against Demi Schuurs and Luisa Stefani Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei on Wednesday advanced to the semi-finals of the women’s doubles at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California. Hsieh and partner Elise Mertens of Belgium dispatched Demi Schuurs and Luisa Stefani 6-1, 6-4 to set up a clash against Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the US and Australia’s Ellen Perez for a spot in the final of the WTA 1000 tournament. Hsieh and Martens made a blistering start to their rematch after they lost to Schuurs and Stefani in the quarter-finals at the Qatar TotalEnergies Open last month, winning three games without reply at the start of the first set