Lin Yi-chuan’s two-run home run capped a three-run fifth for the EDA Rhinos as they roughed up the Lamigo Monkeys in a 9-3 final at the Cheng Ching Lake Baseball Stadium in Greater Kaohsiung yesterday to take the opener of the day-night doubleheader.
The long blast, Lin’s sixth of the year, put the Rhino slugger in good standing with teammate Manny Ramirez, as the bashing tandem leads the league with 13 combined blasts between them, more than any other two players on the same team.
Lin ended with two RBIs on a one-for-three night to up his team-best RBI total to 28, six behind the Uni-President Lions’ Chang “OEO” Tai-shan’s league-leading 34.
The make-up game for Saturday that was rained out saw the home Rhinos draw first blood in the bottom of the second when Kao Guo-hui led off the inning with a walk off Lamigo starter Mike Loree, and took third on a single by Cheng Da-hong, before scoring on Cheng Jau-han’s groundout to short for a 1-0 lead.
After the Primates answered with a run of their own in the top of the fifth to tie the game at one-all, courtesy of Kuo Hso-wei’s sacrifice fly off Rhino starter Lai Hong-cheng, the Rhino offense struck again with a three-run fifth that made it 4-1.
Even though the Monkeys were able to get two of the runs back in the sixth with a pair of singles and a double off Rhino reliever Chen Huan-yang to keep the deficit to a manageable two, that was as close as they got. The Rhinos added to their lead with a three-run sixth, before tacking on a run each in the seventh and eighth to put the game away.
Picking up his third win of the year was Lai, who tossed five solid innings of one-run ball (unearned) on three hits to improve to three-three for the season.
Taking the loss was Loree, who served up eight runs (five earned) on 13 hits over seven frames to fall to a three-four mark for the year.
RHINOS 11, MONKEYS 2
The Rhinos made it two wins in a row by taking the night game of the day-night doubleheader in an 11-2 decision to win the weekend series against their nemeses from Taoyuan by a 2-1 margin.
Lin Chen-hua went seven innings strong for the victors to earn his league-best sixth win, allowing a run on three hits while fanning one and walking one.
In other play, it was:
‧ Elephants 6, Lions 5
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