Batangas earns seat to semis

BATANGAS USED a three-run spree in the sixth inning  and  the solid pitching job of Romeo Jasmin to hack out a 7-4 win over Dumaguete in the Baseball Philippines Series 8 yesterday at the parade grounds of the Clark Field in Pampanga.

Justin Zialcita notched the go-ahead run in the sixth while Jasmin preserved Batangas’ lead in a relief appearance as the Bulls rolled to their fifth win in 10 outings to advance to the next round at third place.

Alex Ching tripled to spark Batangas’ fightback in the bottom of the sixth and scored on a Carlo Banzon single to tie the game at four before Zialcita made it a two-run game with a long drive to right field to send Banzon and Randy De Leon home for a 6-4 Bulls lead.

Jojo Apura scored on a catching error in the outfield to add another run in the seventh inning of the match, which served as the fifth out-of-town game of the league.

Jasmin took over in the seventh and never allowed a run, giving up only a hit while striking out two batters to send the Bulls to the next round while booting out the Uni-bikers, who took their seventh loss against a lone victory. /Correspondent Jonas Panerio