PHILIPPINES – The rematch of the Series 4 finals turned into an epic mismatch as the Cebu Dolphins pounded the Dumaguete Uni-Bikers 17-7 in a championship-caliber rout.

Cebu stormed to a quick seven-run first inning lead and held off a late comeback attempt by the Uni-Bikers for an abbreviated win after eight innings.

In that opening burst, centerfielder Jonash Ponce showed why he was one of the top hitters in Series 4 when he drilled a three-run homer off loser Saxon Omandac that gave the Dolphins an early 3-0 lead.

It was also a breakthrough four-bagger for the Zamboanga native, as Ponce connected his first-ever blast in the two-year old league. He finished with two hits in four at-bats.

Cebu was enjoyed an 11-2 lead in the bottom half of the eighth when Dumaguete, a team known for its come-from-behind victories, threatened with a four-run binge to cut the lead to four, 11-7.

However, it was short-lived as the Dolphins respond as Nico Uichico and Bacchus Ledesma made a pair of run-scoring hits before the latter finished off the game by scoring from third base on a passed ball by catcher Edmer del Socorro.

The win kept Cebu unbeaten in opening day matches, the only squad that has made such feat since the league was launched in 2007.

Cebu starter Joseph Orillana turned his outing into a workout, as he retired the game’s first six batters before shifting to left field entering the third frame because of the big lead.

But soon, the 28-year old southpaw returned late in that five-run eighth and gave up three of those, including two off a hit by veteran Kiko Ramos.

Omandac was quickly sent to the dugout by team manager Lito Pulgo after tossing 40 pitches to earn the loss. 2008 Jun Bernardino MVP Darwin dela Calzada pitched for five innings in relief and fanned three batters.

The Uni-Bikers, which played without Bambol Servo and Kelly Culubong, struggled all throughout the three-hour affair as they made 10 errors in the contest.

Cebu eyes for another win against the winless Forward Taguig Patriots while Dumaguete clash with unbeaten Batangas Bulls in their succeeding games.

Both teams will meet one more time on May 30 when they wrapped up their classification round campaign.

BATANGAS BULLS STAMPEDE PAST ALABANG TIGERS
The Batangas Bulls saw a much-competitive Alabang Tigers this time around but still left the field with yet another win.

Trailing by two runs in the middle part of the contest, the Series 3 champion Bulls rallied in the latter stretch to defeat the Tigers, 5-3, that earned them a share of first place with the Manila Sharks after the first weekend of Baseball Philippines Series 5.

Behind national team member Vio Roxas and youthful Jojo Apura, Batangas secured its second straight win in the tournament and also recorded the team’s best start in history.

Alabang, meanwhile, dropped to 0-2 to tie the Forward Taguig Patriots for last spot.

But they had to recover from a 3-1 deficit in order to achieve such feat which Apura and Roxas did.

Roxas hit an RBI double to left field that drove home fellow RP team mainstay Chris Canlas before scoring the tying run off Apura’s RBI single to right field.

Gaining momentum on that two-run fourth, the Bulls overtake the Tigers in the sixth when Jesse Natanauan, who got a single and reached third on a Romeo Jasmin hit, scored the go-ahead run on a passed ball by Tigers’ catcher Wilfredo Hidalgo.

An inning later, catcher Junifer Pinero, who starred on opening-day with a three-run homer, allowed Miguel Zuluaga to touch home plate on a double as Batangas secured the final tally.

Roxas bounced back from a hitless performance in the first game with two hits in four at-bats while Apura also connected on the same amount of hits.

Batangas reliever Randy de Leon, who entered the fifth frame, was credited with the win after tossing three no-hits while ace hurler Vladimir Eguia closed out Alabang by retiring all three batters in the ninth frame.

Team manager Randy Dizer opted to give Romeo Jasmin his first-ever start since joining the Bulls in the offseason. But the Adamson stalwart allowed his former team to gain a 2-0 lead.

To make things worse, Alabang growled to a 3-1 edge when Jasmin gave up a Matt Laurel solo home run in the fourth.

Despite the shaky outing, Jasmin was able to record four strikeouts in five innings.

MANILA SHARKS TOP TAGUIG PATRIOTS AGAIN
It appears that the Manila Sharks have rediscovered their fierce swagger that made them one of the top teams in baseball.

The Sharks made it a repeat performance Sunday morning, as they beat the Forward Taguig Patriots anew, 9-2, at the resumption of Baseball Philippines Series 5 at the Rizal Memorial Baseball Stadium.

In thrashing the Patriots, Raffy Dimaculangan and Mick Natividad – two members of the UAAP’s National University Bulldogs – took the spotlight as Manila gained a share of the lead with the Batangas Bulls at 2-0.

Dimaculangan, a seldom-used reserve for the Sharks – delivered three RBIs (runs-batted-in) off two hits while Natividad pitched the whole game and allowed six hits and struck out three batters in 131 pitches thrown.

The victory boosted Manila’s confidence heading into its next weekend series against the winless Alabang Tigers.

Forward Taguig, meanwhile, suffered its second straight setback in as many games – its worst start since joining the league in Series 2 two years ago.

The Patriots actually scored the first run of the game, when the team’s top star Ernesto Binarao hit a sacrifice fly in the first inning that put home leadoff man Ryan Garcia.

But Manila respond in the fourth inning as two Taguig errors and a Jarus Inobio RBI single put them up, 3-1.

From there, Dimaculangan showed his hitting prowess, delivering home Al-Denn Lozada from second on an RBI single in the fifth and highlighted a telling five-run blow in the sixth with a two-run double that put the Sharks away for good.

Binarao had just one hit in four at-bats but was credited with two RBIs in the contest after he hit a single that scored Chris Jimenez during the eighth inning – when the game was already decided.

Patriots’ Roland Bocalan was adjudged as the losing pitcher after his wild pitch in the fourth allowed Dimaculangan to reach home from third base and helped Manila take a 2-1 advantage.

Taguig hopes to recover from its lethargic first weekend when it battles Series 4 champion Cebu Dolphins on Saturday.

Photo courtesy of BaseballPhilippines.com

Jonas Terrado is the Chief Writer at the Baseball Philippines league website

Tags: Philippines