Chang "Prince of the Forest" Tai-shan's walk-off single with the bases loaded scored the winning runs in the bottom of the ninth as the Sinon Bulls beat the La New Bears 7-6 in Taichung on Tuesday night.
The hard-working veteran slugger, who competed in the Baseball World Cup in November, the Asian Baseball Championship in December and the Final Olympic Qualifying Tournament earlier this month, has maintained a solid .308 batting average through the first five games of this CPBL season.
His winning hit on Tuesday night capped a four-run rally that helped the Bulls to overcome a three-run deficit in the ninth.
"I knew he [La New closer Lee Fong-hua] had to go with a fastball because the bases were loaded, so I was sitting on it the entire time," the Prince said after the game.
Chang's heroics took the game away from Lee, whose three-and-two-third innings of relief were not enough to avoid another disappointing loss.
An untimely error by Bears second baseman Jiang Chih-tsong led to three unearned hits in the ninth inning, contributing to the loss.
The contest began with the hosts striking first in the bottom of the first, when speedy outfielder Chang Jien-ming led off the inning with a rare triple by scoring on Cheng Hong-da's RBI single off Bears starter Huang Jung-chung.
The Prince's clutch single with men at the corners made it 2-0 in the fourth, but the Bears answered by pounding Sinon starter Jose Espinal and reliever Yu Wen-pin with three doubles and two singles in a four-run sixth to lead 4-2.
The Bulls fought back with a run in the bottom of the sixth, but the Bears tacked on what appeared to be two insurance runs in the eighth on a two-run home run by Lin Chih-sheng off Sinon reliever Tsai Ming-jin.
But that was before the Bulls' dramatic comeback that saw closer Kuo Yong-chih, who pitched a perfect ninth, credited with the win.
ELEPHANTS 9, T-REX 3
Five runs in the first innings set the tone for the game as the Brother Elephants cruised past the dmedia T-Rex 9-3 at the Taipei County Baseball Stadium in Sinjhuang on Tuesday.
After surrendering a run to the T-Rex on an RBI-groundout by Hsieh "The Ugly" Jia-shien in the top of the first, the Elephants answered with five runs in the bottom of the same inning. Dmedia starter Lai Jung-nan issued three walks on top of a single and a double to leave his team trailing 1-5.
The Elephants added two more runs in the second, chasing Lai, before the T-Rex rallied to within a run in the fourth and fifth.
But that was as close as they got, as he Elephants dialed up another run in the bottom of the fifth before concluding the scoring with a run in the seventh to pull away.
Earning his second win of the season despite issuing six walks over five innings was submariner Liao Yu-cheng, who allowed three runs on eight hits in his second start of the season.
The T-Rex, who matched the Elephants' eleven hits in the game by hitting into two double plays and batting a combined 3-for-15 with men in scoring positions, were guilty of wasting too many opportunities.
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