Yang Jien-ming tossed seven-and-a-third innings of one-run ball and Wilton Veras drove in a pair of runs on a two-for-four night as the Sinon Bulls doubled up on the Uni-President Lions 4-2 at the Tainan Municipal Baseball Stadium last night.
The win not only extended the Bulls’ win streak to three straight, but also clinched the first-half title after a loss by the second-placed La New Bears in Kaohsiung county on the same night.
Kuo Dai-chi’s sharp single up the middle following a standup double by Yang Seng got the Cats on the board in the opening frame, before the Bulls countered with a run of their own in the top of the second, courtesy of an opposite-field single by Veras.
PHOTO: CHANG CHUNG-YI, TAIPEI TIMES
The Bulls would take a 2-1 lead in the fourth inning with Veras’ second hit of the game off Lions starter Luther Hackman.
After a scoreless fifth and sixth innings, the visitors would roar again with a pair of seventh-inning runs on the strength of consecutive RBI singles by Cheng Da-hong and Chang Tai-shan to lead it 4-1.
Trailing by three, the Lions managed to put the first two runners on base in the bottom of the ninth against Bulls closer Takatsu Shingo in a seemingly promising rally, but the Japanese ace promptly regained his composure and fanned the next two batters in what ended up being a one-run ninth to preserve the victory.
Yang Jien-fu improved to 5-1 for the season with the win, allowing a run on five hits over seven-plus innings.
Taking the tough loss was Hackman, who pitched well enough to win with four allowed runs on nine hits in six-and-two-third innings of work, but was outshone by Yang’s superior outing.
ELEPHANTS 5, BEARS 1
Three ninth-inning runs broke a 2-1 game wide open as the Brother Elephants downed the La New Bears 5-1 in Kaohsiung County to record their eighth victory in their last 10 games.
The Elephants wasted little time getting to Bears starter Chris Mason with a run each in the first and second for a quick 2-0 advantage.
The game suddenly turned into a pitchers’ duel between Mason and his counterpart Carlos Castillo after the Bears plated their first run of the game in the third, making it 2-1.
That score would remain through to the eighth with neither hurler giving up another run, before the Elephants rang up three off Bears reliever Tseng Jau-hao in the final frame to seal the deal.
Castillo was credited with the win for going the distance for his team, allowing a lone run on five hits, while fanning three and walking one.
Suffering his third loss of the season was Mason, who fell to 7-3 for the year despite pitching two-run ball over seven innings in another quality start.
TODAY’S GAMES
In today’s games, the Bulls take on the Lions in Tainan at 5:05pm, while in Kaohsiung County, the Elephants face the Bears at the same time.
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