The Lamigo Monkeys yesterday pounded out five homers in their 15-2 rout of the Fubon Guardians to win two of their three weekend games in Taoyuan and consolidate their lead in the rankings.
Slugger Wang Po-jung had a productive day, going 3-3 with two walks, driving in three RBIs, scoring four runs and contributing two of the Monkeys’ five homers.
Wang rattled Fubon starting pitcher Chen Hung-wen in the opening frame with a solo shot and ignited his team’s offense in their easy cruise to victory.
In the sixth inning with a runner on, Wang had the help of Fubon outfielder Kao Kuo-hui, who accidentally knocked the ball over the far left field wall to hand Wang his seventh home run of the season
The Monkeys cranked out 14 hits against Fubon’s five pitchers, with five runs each in the fifth and seventh innings putting the result beyond a doubt.
In addition to Wang, Lamigo outfielder Yang Yao-hsun, third baseman Lin Li and first baseman Chu Yu-hsien also blasted the ball out of the park.
American right-hander Bruce Kern pocketed his fifth win of the season, yielding only two runs on four hits and striking out six batters in seven innings.
LIONS’ STREAK
In yesterday’s other game, the Uni-President Lions extended their winning streak to three against the Brothers Baseball Club in Tainan.
Second-year pitcher Shih Tzu-chien did enough through five innings to record his fourth win of the season, giving up five hits and two runs, one of which was unearned.
Shortstop Chen Chieh-hsien had four hits and two RBIs, while first baseman Kao Kuo-ching slammed one over the fence to lead the Lions to a 7-3 triumph.
In the other two games of the three-game series in Tainan, the Lions on Friday last week defeated the Brothers 9-3, then the next day grabbed another win with an identical result.
Starting with their 9-4 victory over the Brothers on May 6, the Lions have won five consecutive games, including a decisive 10-1 win over the Guardians on Thursday last week.
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