Sharks beat Patriots in Series 5 opener
by Jonas Terrado
Sharks 9, Patriots 6
Coming off a disastrous performance in the previous tournament, the only thing that the Manila Sharks want is a fresh start.
And it appears that the Sharks took their first step in that lofty goal, beating the Forward Taguig Patriots in a wild 9-6 win that opened Baseball Philippines Series 5 at the Rizal Memorial Baseball Stadium.
In a see-saw affair, Manila finally got through in the eighth inning when they scored three runs that shattered a 6-6 tie with Francis Candella making a key hit that put the Sharks away for good.
Candella, a member of the RP national team, took advantage of a bases-loaded situation when he hit a single to right field off losing pitcher Fernando Badrina that scored Jarus Inobio and Christian Galedo.
Prior to the big hit, Manila gained a one-run lead after Badrina issued a walk to Galedo that brought home Roja from third.
The go-ahead runs enabled ace pitcher Charlie Labrador to complete his four-inning relief work by retiring the last three batters he faced in the ninth inning. Labrador replaced starter Joseph Albindo during the fifth inning.
Albindo tossed four innings and allowed two runs off four hits before he was sent to the dugout after throwing the maximum limit of 75 pitches, a new rule enforced by the league in order for a pitcher to toss the next match.
It was a good head start for the squad of team manager Jhoel Palanog after the Sharks lost eight of 10 games in the classification phase in Series 4 before getting ousted by the Dumaguete Uni-Bikers in the playoffs.
Forward Taguig's Ernesto Binarao picked up where he left off from his superb outing in Series 4 by yielding two runs off three hits in five innings before leaving the pitcher's mound after 74 pitches.
He was outstanding on offense as the 30-year old Zamboanga native had four RBIs (runs-batted-in) off three hits, including a two-run double in the seventh frame that put the Patriots up for the last time, 6-5.
But Nino Tator quickly answered for the Sharks. His double off Badrina in the bottom half of the seventh tied the count at 6-6 after droving home Galedo from third base.
Earlier, Philippine Sports Commission chairman Harry Angping and Philippine Olympic Committee president Jose "Peping" Cojuangco led the tossing of the ceremonial first pitch during the opening ceremonies.