Batangas clouters sweep Forward Taguig

MANILA, Philippines - Batangas swept Forward Taguig in their preliminary matches as the Bulls dominated the Patriots, 7-1, for their sixth win in as many matches in the Baseball Philippines Series 5 at the Rizal Memorial baseball stadium. The Bulls again banked on the superb games of Romeo Jasmin and Vladimir Eguia, who combined for a four-hit job even as Vio Roxas scored his 11th career home run against the Pariots, who likewise bowed to Batangas, 5,-4, in a heart-stopping 12-inning face off the previous day. Because of their victory, the Batangas Bulls are now just two wins away from bagging one of the two automatic semifinal berths while Taguig remains without a victory. Jasmin, acquired from the Alabang Tigers during the off-season, struck out six Taguig hitters and gave up just three hits in six innings on the mound before Eguia ensured the victory by striking out three more batters in the last three innings. Making matters worse for Taguig was Roxas' homerun to the left field that gave Batangas a 4-0 lead after the third inning. Taguig's lone run was from Ferdinand Recto, who reached home after a sacrifice fly by Jeffrey Hardillo. In the first match, the Manila Sharks and Cebu Dolphins fought to a 9-9 standoff through 11 innings in a game suspended after reaching the three-hour time limit. The Sharks were looking at a victory after posting a 9-4 advantage in the seventh inning, but the Dolphins fought back with five consecutive runs, including four in the ninth frame capped by Jerome Bacarisas’s game-tying run off a hit by Joseph Orillana. Meanwhile, Dumaguete posted its second straight triumph via a dominating 13-3 win against Alabang in an abbreviated eight-inning contest. The Unibikers now have a 2-3 slate while the Tigers absorbed their fifth defeat in six matches. – Perry Legaspi, GMANews.TV