Yang Guan-wei’s opposite-field single with men at the corners scored the go-ahead run in the bottom of the seventh and Cheng Da-hung followed with an RBI groundout on the ensuing play, leading the EDA Rhinos to defeat the Lamigo Monkeys 5-3 at the Cheng Ching Lake Baseball Stadium in Greater Kaohsiung last night to take the weekend series at home.
The red-hot second-year catcher out of the Chinese Culture University continued his recent surge at the plate with the second of his two hits on the night to carry his team past the top-ranked Primates.
It was the fourth multi-hit game that Yang has turned in since taking over the starting catcher’s role 10 days ago, providing skipper Dallas Williams of the US some much-needed depth in offense.
Setup man Tsai Ming-chin tossed a perfect eighth before closer Lin Yi-hao followed with a perfect ninth to preserve the second win of the season for fellow reliever Hsiao Yi-chieh, who dodged a couple of bullets in a scoreless seventh despite allowing two Monkeys hitters to reach safety.
The Monkeys drew first blood in the top of the third when Chan Chih-yao singled off Rhino starter Lin Chen-hua, stole second and scored on Lin Chih-ping’s single up the middle that made it 1-0 in favor of the visitors.
However, the Rhinos would get the run back, and some more, in a two-run fourth on the strength of a two-run triple by Cheng Jau-han to make it 2-1.
After the Monkeys managed to claim a 3-2 lead with a pair of runs in the top of the fifth, the Rhinos tied the score with a run in the bottom of the same inning, which lasted until the decisive seventh inning.
Taking the loss for the Monkeys was reliever Chen Yu-hsun, who fell victim to a fielding error by himself that allowed a runner to reach second on a sacrifice-bunt attempt that ultimately led to the Rhinos’ go-ahead runs.
LIONS 6, ELEPHANTS 3
Back-to-back doubles by Chen Yung-chi and Kao “Green Tank” Guo-ching in the top of the 10th broke a 2-all wide open and the Uni-President Lions held off an all-out rally by the Chinatrust Brother Elephants, who loaded the bases in the bottom of the 10th, to come away with a 6-3 win at the Taipei Tianmu Baseball Stadium last night.
Elephants leadoff man Chang Cheng-wei went a perfect five-for-five at the plate on the night, but it was not nearly enough to translate into a win for the men in the golden uniforms, as Chen Yung-chi stole the show on a four-hit night of his own to lift his club past their foes.
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