Sharks grab second win
by Jonas Terrado
Sharks 9, Patriots 2
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.