Seven quick runs over the first two innings set the tone early in the game as the La New Bears trounced the Sinon Bulls by a 10-4 margin in Kaohsiung on Friday evening to kick off the weekend series with a splash.
The win not only extended the Bears’ win streak to six straight, but also helped them to take the lead in the standings, with a loss by the Uni-President Lions to the Brother Elephants in Tainan meant the Bears and the Lions swapped places in the standings in a tight race for the first-half title.
Lin Chih-sheng’s two-run double off struggling Sinon starter Yang Jien-fu got the hit parade started in the top of the first to spot Bears starter Hsu Wen-hsiung a four-run lead.
They would tack on another three against Yang that made it 7-0 in the second before the Bulls got on the board against Hsu with a run in the third.
After the Bears scored their eighth run of the game in the third, the Bulls would get two runs back and that was as close as they got en route to the 10-4 defeat.
Picking up the win to even his record at 5-5 was Hsu, who was not at his best as he allowed four runs on nine hits over seven frames, but benefited from an offense that has averaged 8.5 runs per game during a six-game winning streak.
ELEPHANTS 2 LIONS 1
Mike Smith pitched seven strong innings of one-run ball, while Liu Geng-hsin showed off his blazing speed around the base paths and the Brother Elephants went on to top the Uni-President Lions 2-1 in Tainan on Friday to hand the Cats their third straight loss.
Despite allowing a solo homer to the Lions’ Tu Chuang-hsun that put the Lions ahead 1-0 in the third, Smith was in control the entire way, retiring the side in order in four of the first six innings.
That kept the slow-to-warm Elephants in the game long enough to finally get to Lions starter Chris Gissell in the fifth with a run on Wang Sheng-wei’s RBI-groundout after Gissell issued back-to-back walks to start off the inning.
Liu then made his mark in the sixth by racing home all the way from second on a wild pitch by Lions reliever Hsu Yu-wei with two outs to put his team ahead 2-1, a score that would stand to the end.
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