Uni-Bikers complete mastery of Tigers
by Jonas Terrado
Uni-Bikers 13, Tigers 3
For the second consecutive day, the Dumaguete Uni-Bikers pulled away late to earn another win.
The Uni-Bikers took advantage of a sloppy defense by Alabang with a late scoring binge to hammer out a convincing 13-3 victory that was stopped after eight innings because of a 10-run mercy rule.
With the Tigers committing nine errors in the contest, Dumaguete went on to score eight unanswered runs in the last three innings, including five in the eighth, to complete a weekend sweep.
It also allowed them to hike their record up to 2-3 for third place in the team standings.
Catcher Edmer del Socorro produced another stellar performance on offense, recording three RBIs (runs-batted-in) late in the game while veteran first baseman Kiko Ramos drove two runners home in the win.
Ramos drove one of the two runs Dumaguete scored in the first frame when he hit a sacrifice fly that scored Bambol Servo from third. Four innings later, the reigning Home Run king nearly put the ball out of the park when his long flyball bounced off the wall to pull home del Socorro that made it a 5-2 contest.
After Jay Laurel touched home to cut Alabang's deficit to two runs, the floodgate opened for the Uni-Bikers with del Socorro hitting an RBI single in a three-run sixth, then drilled a two-run double that drove-in Andro Cuyugan and Bambol Servo.
The youthful Justin Payongayong, who played with the RP Youth team in a series of games in Osaka, Japan, allowed just three hits with one earned run in 3 1/3 innings to earn the win before lefties Joey Sta Maria and ace Darwin dela Calzada finished off the Tigers.
Payongayong, who also plays for the University of the Philippines in the UAAP, improved his pitching record to 1-1 and bounced back from a rocky start the previous Sunday when he allowed his college teammate Ericson Eguia to smack a three-run homer in the Uni-Bikers' 6-1 loss to the Batangas Bulls.
Despite a disappointing afternoon, the Tigers tried to make it a tight ballgame. Trailing 4-0 in the fourth, they managed to cut it to 5-3 when Jay Laurel scored after Bambol Servo bobbled a Gian Llaguno groundball in the sixth.
The highlight of the game a rare triple play made by Alabang in the fourth inning.
With two runners on base, pitcher Jay Laurel caught a short pop off a bunt by Denver Largo before throwing it over to first baseman Andoy Velasquez, who then ran over to second to force out a confused second base runner Saxon Omandac.
It was a rare defensive effort for the Tigers in a weekend filled with fielding lapses.
Dumaguete hopes to continue its winning streak next Saturday when it battles the winless Forward Taguig Patriots while Alabang tries to end its slump against the fancied Cebu Dolphins on Saturday at the Alabang Country Club in Muntinlupa City, the league's first-ever game outside of the Rizal Memorial Baseball Stadium..
The second game of the Cebu-Alabang series will be held at the Rizal ballpark.