Fresh off his impressive victory over the First Securities Agan in Hualien the previous weekend, Elephants starter Yokota Hisanori turned in one of his best efforts on the mound this season after allowing only one hit in seven innings. His 12th win of the season was witnessed by a sell-out crowd in Hsinchu. The Japanese right-hander held a powerful Bulls lineup scoreless until the seventh inning.
The Elephants were so far ahead, skipper Lin Yi-tseng decided to give his normal set-up man Wang Ching-li a rest by sending youngster Liu Wen-mao to finish off the Bulls.
Offensively for the Elephants, first baseman Tsai Fong-an and designated hitter Chen Huai-shan went 5-for-7 with five RBIs. Right fielder Lee Chih-jeh also had a big night, connecting for a three-run blast over the left field fence in a seven-run fourth inning.
The series finale in Tienmu on Saturday was a close ball game, with the Elephants hanging on to a 2-0 lead before they pulled away in the top of the ninth with a pair of insurance runs, making the final 4-0.
Despite issuing a season-high seven walks, along with three hits, Bulls' starter Jeff Andra escaped a couple of jams in the third and fifth innings to keep the shutout in tact, helped by a couple of base-running mistakes by the Elephants in the third inning and a timely strikeout in the fifth.
The left-hander from Kansas bounced back from suffering his first loss of the year the week before to become the first 13-game winner of the season.
"I knew I had some problems with my control tonight, but my off-speed pitches finally came through for me in key situations," Andra was quoted by Chinese-language media after the game.
The loss erased an otherwise-solid effort by Elephants starter Miguel Martinez of Panama, who allowed two runs (one earned) on six hits -- striking out 10 batters over eight innings.
Lion hearts
The President Lions won all three of their games against the hapless Makoto Gida last week to maintain their second-place position in league standings, along with the Bulls.
The three-game series began in Hsinchu on Thirsday with a 7-1 Lions win.
Former Major League Baseball player John Frascatore kept the Gida off the board through eight innings before yielding his only run of the game on Gida left fielder Chiou Chang-rong's RBI single in the bottom of the ninth.
Frascatore gave the Lions bullpen the night off by pitching all nine innings to record his first complete game of the season. He joined the Lions in June.
Lions shortstop Hsu Sheng-jeh had a big game offensively, collecting five RBIs on a 2-for-3 night, including a three-run shot over the wall.
It was Hsu's first home run since returning from a near-fatal automobile accident in April.
Game 2 of the series was a one-all affair until Lions catcher Wu Jau-hui hit the game-winner in the top of the 10th off of Gida reliever Jesus Pena in Hsinchuang on Friday.
Lions reliever Tsao Jung-yang pitched two scoreless innings in the ninth and 10th for his second victory of the season.
Rookie sensation Pan Wei-luen of the Lions got his ninth win of the season in the series finale on Sunday in Hsinchuang, with a final score of 12-1.
Spotted to a six-run lead after just three innings of play, Pan cruised through five innings before skipper Hsieh Chang-hern decided to rest his starter and turned the game over to the bullpen.
Lions left fielder Chen Lien-hung led all hitters with three RBIs on four hits to pocket the game-MVP honor.
The Agans' visit to Chiayi against the Whales on Thursday ended in a pleasant surprise as they took Game 1 of the three-game series against ace Nakayama Hiroaki by a score of 5-1.
Galva gets a win
Agan starter Claudio Galva earned his first victory as an Agan, allowing one run on five hits over 5-2/3 innings.
In one of his shortest outings this year, Nakayama yielded four runs on four hits in 5-1/3 innings of play. The normally accurate veteran suffered from a rare control problem as he issued four walks during the game.
The Whales defended their home turf in Games 2 of the series shutting out the Agan on Saturday 3-0 behind a strong outing by starter Kuo-Lee Chien-fu. Kuo-Lee gave up only one run over eight innings for his sixth victory of the season.
With the series tied at one game apiece, the Whales overcame an early three-run deficit to take Game 3 by a score of 7-4, clinching the series 2-1.
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