Improved pitching, coupled with timely hitting, has translated into a winning month for the previously struggling Brother Elephants.
After a disappointing April that saw the men in yellow go 6-13 with a five-game and a six-game losing skid, dead last in the standings, the Elephants have recovered from their worst start in recent years by winning five of their nine contests so far this month.
Leading the recent surge for the Elephants off the mound is hard-throwing right-hander Chen Hong-wen, who has made a smooth transition from his former closer’s role to his current starting role with a pair of solid starts in which he went seven innings apiece with an earned run in each outing that resulted in two wins for his club.
The Hualien native who spent six seasons in the Chicago Cubs’ minor league system and two seasons in the Mexican Pacific League before opting to return to his homeland this year could be the staff ace that the Elephants have sorely missed with injury bothering Lin En-yu and former first round draft pick Lin Yu-ching falling a tad short of expectations in his second season with the team.
Offensively for the Elephants, timely hitting has made the difference after four of their last five wins were decided by five combined runs.
These incorporated a pair of extra-inning triumphs courtesy of the resurging Peng “Chia Chia” Cheng-min, whose average has risen over 60 points from .200 to .262 this month, with three homers and six RBIs.
While the main focus of attention has fallen on the two-horse race for the first half title between the Uni-President Lions and the EDA Rhinos, an equally heated battle to stay out of last place in the standings has resulted in an exciting start for the league that has seen people talking baseball more than ever and fans filling up ball parks across the nation for the first time in years.
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College basketballer Kaitlyn Chen has become the first female player of Taiwanese descent to be drafted by a WNBA team, after the Golden State Valkyries selected her in the third and final round of the league’s draft on Monday. Chen, a point guard who played her first three seasons in college for Princeton University, transferred to the University of Connecticut (UConn) for her final season, which culminated in a national championship earlier this month. While at Princeton, Chen was named the Ivy League tournament’s most outstanding player three times from 2022 to last year. Prior to the draft, ESPN described Chen as
College basketballer Kaitlyn Chen (陳凱玲) has become the first player of Taiwanese descent to be drafted by a WNBA team, after being selected by the Golden State Valkyries in the third and final round of the league's draft yesterday. Chen, a point guard who played her first three seasons in college for Princeton University, transferred to the University of Connecticut (UConn) for her final season, which culminated in a national championship on April 6. While at Princeton, Chen was named the Ivy League tournament's most outstanding player three times from 2022 to last year. Prior to the draft, ESPN described Chen as a
Japan yesterday secured a second consecutive Billie Jean King Cup finals appearance with a 2-1 win over 2023 champions Canada, thanks to Ena Shibahara and Shuko Aoyama’s 6-3, 5-7, 6-2 win over Kayla Cross and Rebecca Marino in the qualifying doubles decider. Shibahara and Aoyama powered through the opening set 6-3, breaking twice for a quick 3-0 lead. Cross and Marino hit back in the second, edging it 7-5 to level the match, before the Japanese pair regained control in the third. Canada’s 18-year-old Victoria Mboko edged Shibahara 6-4, 6-7 (8/10), 7-5 in a marathon opening clash. Mboko fired eight aces to
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