Make-up games continued this week, with the Uni-President Lions edging past the Sinon Bulls 4-3 at the Taichung Municipal Baseball Stadium on Wednesday night.
It was a big win for the visiting Cats, not only because starter Kenny Rayborn managed to pitch out of several jams to allow just one run on nine hits over six frames in preparation for the upcoming Taiwan Series, but also because it gave skipper Lu Wen-sheng a chance to substitute his players more freely in the game without much risk of losing.
Starting catcher Kao Chih-kang got a chance to play in the leftfield for the second straight game, while Shih Jin-dien and Hsu Sheng-jeh were able to play at second and third base, respectively, to give Lu a different perspective on his lineup in the hunt for his third straight title.
PHOTO: LIAO YAO-TUNG, TAIPEI TIMES
Pan Wu-hsiung’s RBI double in the top of the first got the Lions on the board in a hurry as they led it 3-0 through the fourth by tacking on a pair of runs in the fourth.
Held scoreless after four innings despite ripping a half-dozen hits off Rayborn in the process, the Sinon offense finally managed to score in the fifth on the strength of an RBI groundout by Chang Jien-ming after they had loaded up the bases with two singles and a walk.
The Lions scored a run in the seventh to make it 4-1. This turned out to be crucial, as the Bulls struck back with a run in the bottom of the same inning that cut the lead to 4-2 before a pitch by Lions reliever Lin Cheng-fong sailed wide to score the runner from third in the eighth inning, making it 4-3.
But that was as close as the Bulls got as Lions closer Lin Yueh-ping tossed a scoreless ninth to preserve the fifth win of the year for Rayborn.
BEARS 4, ELEPHANTS 1
The La New Bears vented some of their frustration in missing the postseason after losing out after a heated pursuit by defeating the Brother Elephants at the Chiayi Municipal Baseball Stadium on Wednesday evening.
It was the second straight loss for the Elephants after they clinched the second-half title last Saturday to earn the right to take on the Lions in the Taiwan Series.
“This is not exactly the way we want to play heading into the postseason, so we’ll have to do everything better,” Elephants manager Nakagomi Sin said after the game.
His troops actually outhit the Bears 9-to-8, but had only a lone run on the board to show for it with dismal 1-for-5 hitting with men in scoring position.
Chou Si-chi’s solo blast off Bears reliever Hsu Chih-hua was the lone highlight for an Elephants squad that does not want to go into a slump with the postseason less than 10 days away.
FRUSTRATION: Alcaraz made several unforced errors over four sets against Bosnian Damir Dzumhur, who had never made it past the third round in a major competition Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz reached the fourth round of the French Open after laboring past Damir Dzumhur 6-1, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 in the Friday night session. The second-seeded Spaniard had never before played Dzumhur, a 33-year-old Bosnian who had never been past the third round at any major tournament. “I suffered quite a lot today,” Alcaraz said. “The first two sets was under control, then he started to play more deeply and more aggressively. It was really difficult for me.” Dzumhur hurt his left knee in a fall in the second round, and had treatment on Friday on his right leg during the
‘DREAM’: The 5-0 victory was PSG’s first Champions League title, and the biggest final win by any team in the 70-year history of the top-flight European competition Paris Saint-Germain won the Champions League for the first time as Luis Enrique’s brilliant young side outclassed Inter on Saturday in the most one-sided final ever with teenager Desire Doue scoring twice in an astonishing 5-0 victory. Doue supplied the pass for Achraf Hakimi to give PSG an early lead and the 19-year-old went from provider to finisher as his deflected shot doubled the advantage in the 20th minute. Doue scored again just after the hour mark, ending any doubt about the outcome before Khvicha Kvaratskhelia ran away to get the fourth and substitute Senny Mayulu, another teenager, made it five. Inter were
The Greek basketball league finals between Panathinaikos and Olympiakos were suspended by the government on Monday following on-court scuffles involving rival security teams. The best-of-five series is at 1-1. The third game, scheduled for today, has been postponed. The owners of both clubs were summoned to meet with the country’s sports minister. They “will be asked to provide explicit guarantees that this situation will be brought to an end. If not, this year’s championship will be definitively canceled,” government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis said. “There can be no tolerance for such pathological phenomena of violence and delinquency.” In online posts, the owners of Panathinaikos and
The Edmonton Oilers on Thursday defeated the Dallas Stars 6-3 to book their place in the Stanley Cup Finals, setting up a repeat of last year’s NHL showpiece against reigning champions the Florida Panthers. The Oilers, bidding to become the first Canadian team to win the NHL’s championship series since the 1993 Montreal Canadiens, head to Florida for Game 1 of the best-of-seven series set for Wednesday. Florida, who are to play in the NHL showpiece for the third straight season, won last year’s title 4-3 to extend Canada’s decades-long Stanley Cup drought. Connor McDavid led Edmonton back to the championship series on
RSS