Chang “OEO” Tai-shan’s timely triple with a runner on first scored the tiebreaking run in the top of the 10th as the Uni-President Lions cooled off a surging Perth Heat club to escape with a 3-2 win in extra-innings during the second day of play of this year’s Asia Series at the Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium last night.
The veteran slugger, who owns the career record for most offensive categories in the Chinese Professional Baseball League, came through in a big way for his team with a two-out swing that scored the game-winner, giving him three RBIs in the two games that the Lions have played thus far.
Decent pitching by both starters kept the offenses off the board through the first four innings, even though both teams managed to place runners in scoring position at least once, with the Lions’ Dan Reichert and the Heat’s Ben Moore holding their ground.
Photo: Reuters
However, the scoring drought ended for the Lions in the fifth with Kuo Chun-yo leading off the inning with a clean double and scoring two batters later on Tu Chung-hsun’s RBI double to give the hosts a 1-0 lead.
Chen Yung-chi’s sacrifice fly with the bags loaded in the same inning made it 2-0, which lasted until the eighth before the Heat answered with two runs of their own that sent the crowd into a sudden despair.
However, the victory ultimately went to the Cats as Pan Wu-hsiung slapped a single off Heat reliever Cameron Lamb to the opposite field with two outs to set up Chang’s game-clincher.
Pocketing the win was Wang Ching-ming, who entered in the eighth to bail out Reichert with 1-2/3 innings of one-hit ball, while the loss went to Lamb for giving up the decisive run.
SOFTBANK HAWKS 9,
SAMSUNG LIONS 0
Japan’s Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks made it two wins in a row by drilling South Korea’s Samsung Lions in the second game for both teams to improve to 2-0.
Starter Hiroki Yamada shut down the Lions’ bats with seven scoreless innings of four-hit ball, while fanning six and walking three to win the game that virtually sent the Hawks to Tuesday’s title game.
Relievers Masahiko Morifuku and Teruaki Yoshikawa chipped in a scoreless eighth and ninth respectively to keep the shutout intact.
The Hawks also showed off their crafty bats and unforgiving speed by pounding out 11 hits and snatching up seven bases to plate nine runs on the day, led by Kenta Imamiya’s 3 for 5 hitting with an RBI and outfielder Yuya Hasegawa’s three steals.
After a scoreless first, the Hawks hitters quickly went to work against right-hander Lee Woo-sun with three runs on as many hits and a pair of walks to chase the Lions starter before tapping two more runs off his successor to take a surprising 5-0 lead after two innings of play.
That was more than enough for the stingy Hawks pitching as they silenced the Lions’ bats the rest of the way to garner the win.
TODAY’S CONTESTS
The Uni-President Lions take on the Samsung Lions at the Taoyuan International Baseball Stadium at 1pm this afternoon, while the Hawks get set to face the Heat in the night game in Taoyuan, with the opening pitch scheduled for 7pm.
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