Bulls rally to beat Sharks, earn semis berth
by Jonas Terrado
Bulls 7, Sharks 5
MARIKINA CITY - All Chris Canlas need was one pitch to complete the spirited comeback of the league-leading Batangas Bulls.
The Bulls' starting shortstop and a member of the RP national team hit a three-run homerun in the seventh the Bulls rallied from three runs down to shock the Manila Sharks, 7-5, and clinched the first outright semifinals berth at the Sto Nino Baseball Field here.
With the game tied at 4-4 and with two runners on base, Canlas smashed the only pitch he threw from a tired Charlie Labrador and sent it past the facility's pink fence in right field to complete a key six-run binge in the seventh frame.
He also got help from fellow national team member Junifer Pinero and Carlo Banzon, who both jumpstart the Bulls' rally after trailing three runs in the first six frames.
It was enough for the Bulls to extend their unblemished record to eight games and is two wins shy of completing the classification round unbeaten. They face the Cebu Dolphins in a two-game series that starts on Saturday.
Following Banzon's RBI single that scored Vladimir Eguia, a hit-by-pitch on Vio Roxas and a walk by Jojo Apura to load the bases, Pinero drilled a deep fly to left field that pushed home Banzon and Roxas to even the count before Canlas made it a 7-4 affair following his three-run four-bagger.
Eguia, who came in relief of starting pitcher Romeo Jasmin, then whisked away an RBI single by Francis Candela that scored Jenald Pareja in the top of the ninth before retiring Nino Tator on a groundout and a strikeout by Edward Landicho to seal the deal.
Team manager Randy Dizer was glad that his team made the key hits against Labrador, who pitched a complete game effort and didn't mind that he reached past the 75-pitch count limit that would prohibit him to throw the next game.
"We knew that they would burn Labrador," Dizer said. "I told them to be patient and then we made big hits when it mattered the most."
Manila, which was hoping to bounce back from an embarrassing 17-1 loss to Batangas the previous day, was poised to exact revenge when they led 2-0 early in the second inning.
Romy Bumagat then hit a two-run double to left field that scored Christian Galedo and Al-Denn Lozada in the sixth to give the Sharks a 4-1 advantage before faltering down the stretch.
Labrador gave up 10 hits in 99 pitches but had six of them coming in the last two innings as the Sharks elected to keep him on the mound to ensure a Sharks victory.
However, they would eventually left the nation's shoe capital with their second straight loss and fall to a record of 4-3 in the standings although they are still a half-game behind the Cebu Dolphins in the race for the second outright semifinals slot.
Manila is set to return to Sto Nino next Saturday when it faces the Dumaguete Uni-Bikers. The second game of the series will be held at the Rizal Memorial Baseball Stadium the next day.