PHILIPPINES – Erickson Eguia stole the limelight from the team’s pitching staff as he drove in six runs in leading the Batangas Bulls to a 13-4 domination of Manila Sharks in the Baseball Philippines Series V Finals Sunday at the Rizal Memorial Baseball Stadium.

Batting fifth in the batting order, Eguia went four-of-five at bat (two singles and two doubles) as he led the team to a high 18 hits against four Sharks pitchers, allowing the Bulls to claim a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three Finals series. Eight of the starting nine recorded a hit for Batangas, which moved a win away from bagging a second title after previously topping Series III.

What was expected to be a tight contest ended in a lopsided win for the Bulls. After the Sharks leveled the count at 3-all in the third inning, Manila’s bid crumbled as relief pitcher Mick Natividad allowed six hits and seven runs in the pivotal fifth inning.

Eguia blasted a two run double off Natividad while Carlo Banzon had a three-bagger and also drove two more runs to lead the Bulls to a 10-3 lead. It was a big letdown for Natividad, who starred in the team’s 11-10 win over Alabang Tigers in a 14-inning semifinal encounter.

Natividad took over the mound from Joseph Albindo, who allowed six hits and three runs in four innings. He pitched for just an inning for this game and ended up as the losing pitcher.

“The players were very much focused for this game. Our pitchers played their usual game while we got our hitting game going. We hope to close the series out in Game 2,” said Emerson Barandoc who temporarily filled in the team manager’s role in lieu of Randy Dizer who is in Jakarta, Indonesia for the Asia-Pacific Little League tournament.

Erickson’s brother Vladimir started out at the mound and allowed four hits and three runs in four innings. He was relieved by Jasmin after Eguia, who also had five strikeouts, allowed three runs at the top of the third that iced the count at 3-3.

Jasmin did a better job with a hit, a run and a strikeout in the next three innings and was replaced only after he twisted his right foot. De Leon came into the picture and hurled a two-hitter with two strikouts in the last two innings.

Aside from poor pitching, the Sharks also lost slugger Romy Bumagat right in the first inning to injury.

In his first time at bat, Bumagat tried for a bunt but the ball went straight and hit his right eye upon hitting his bat. That resulted into a big cut in his right eyebrow and he was immediately rushed to the

hospital for treatment.

Courtesy of GMANews.TV/Baseball Philippines

Tags: Philippines