Huang En-tsu’s seventh-inning single with the bases loaded scored the go-ahead runs for the Uni-President Lions as they went on to defeat the Chinatrust Brother Elephants 3-1 at the Tianmu Baseball Stadium in Taipei last night to clinch the weekend series by a 2-1 margin.
The third-year infielder has more than fulfilled coach Chen Lien-hung’s expectations in his first season as a full-time starter with a solid .319 average and nine RBIs to give the bottom of the Lions lineup added punch.
His continued success could make the Cats’ already awesome slugging corp that features future Hall-of-Famer Chang “OEO” Tai-shan, current RBI leader Chen Yung-chi and Deng Chih-wei (third in the league in batting) that bit more dangerous.
Photo: Lin Cheng-kung, Taipei Times
“I knew it was a chance for me to shine the minute [the Elephants] walked [Chang] Tai-shan and I’m glad it worked out well for me,” Huang said after the game.
His late-inning heroics also wasted yet another quality start by Elephants starter Lin Yu-ching, who went the distance with three allowed runs on six hits to bring his quality-start total to three straight, but with only a dismal 1-1 record to show for it in a losing effort.
Lin Wei-chu’s run-scoring single off Lions starter Wang Ching-ming in the top of the first got things moving in the right direction for the visitors, but the 1-0 lead lasted less than an inning as the Lions were quick to return the favor with a run of their own in the bottom of the same frame when Kuo Chun-yo beat out a grounder to short for an infield single and scored on Pan “TAKE” Wu-hsiung’s double on the ensuing play to make it 1-1.
That was all the runs that either offense could muster through the sixth inning, with both Lin and Wang holding their ground in a pitchers’ duel, before Huang delivered the game-winning blow in the seventh.
The Elephants made things interesting when Chang Chih-hao led off the top of the ninth with a clean single off Boof Bonser to bring the tying run to the plate with no outs, but the Lions closer managed to retire the next three hitters on three straight fly outs to preserve the victory for Wang.
MONKEYS 2, RHINOS 1
The Lamigo Monkeys continued their mastery of one-run games by topping the EDA Rhinos 2-1 at the Taoyuan International Baseball Stadium last night to sweep the series.
Shoda Itsuki pitched seven scoreless innings of shutout ball to lift the Primates past their foes in their fifth straight win.
Taiwan’s top women’s badminton doubles duo, Hsieh Pei-shan (謝沛珊) and Hung En-tzu (洪恩慈), achieved a straight-sets victory over Japan’s Kaho Osawa and Mayui Tanabe at the Badminton World Federation (BWF) Super 300 Macau Open on Sunday. The Taiwanese pair won the final 21-18, 21-12, marking the duo’s second title this year after their win at the BWF Super 300 Taipei Open in May. The match on Sunday was their first encounter with the Japanese duo, ranked No. 63 in the world. Hsieh and Hung, ranked No. 12, began the opening game well. Hung, who plays left-handed, performed strongly at both the net and the
Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko upset top-seeded Coco Gauff 6-1, 6-4 on Saturday night to reach the National Bank Open quarter-finals. “Your support was incredible,” Mboko told the crowd in French after a chorus of “Ole, Ole, Ole” chants echoed around the venue. “I’m really happy to win today ... It’s incredible. I’m so happy to beat such a great champion.” Gauff dropped to 2-3 since winning the French Open. She followed the major victory with opening losses in Berlin and Wimbledon, then overcame double-fault problems to win two three-set matches in Montreal. Gauff had five double-faults on Saturday after having 23 in
Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen on Thursday said that he is staying with the Red Bull team next year, ending months of speculation over his future. “Some people just like to stir the pot, some people just like to create drama, but, for me, it’s always been quite clear, and also for next year,” the four-time champion said ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix. “I’m discussing with the team already the plans — the things that we want to change for next year, so that means that I’m also staying with the team for next year,” he said. Verstappen has a contract with
Alex Michelsen on Thursday rallied for a 3-6, 7-6 (7/4), 6-4 upset victory over third-seeded Lorenzo Musetti in the men’s singles, converting his seventh match point to reach the fourth round of the Canadian Open. Michelsen reached the last 16 of a Masters 1000 for the first time with his second win over a top-10 player in eight attempts. The 20-year-old American survived nearly 50 unforced errors and converted just two of nine break chances, but it was enough to vanquish Italy’s Musetti, a two-time Grand Slam semi-finalist ranked 10th in the world. “It feels really good,” the 26th-ranked Michelsen said. “I’ve put