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JOSEPH ORILLANA hopes to sustain his superb form on
the mound as Cebu guns for the clincher against Manila in Game 2 of
Baseball Philippines’ Series 2 title showdown Saturday at the
Rizal Baseball Stadium.
Orillana topped fellow National
team mainstay Charlie Labrador in the series opener won by Cebu,
6-3, last Wednesday, yielding just three hits while the Dolphins
peppered Labrador with a total of 15 hits in a solid outing that
impressed team manager Isaac Bacarisas.
“Joseph pitched really well and
our hitters adjusted to Labrador’s pitch, those were the keys,”
said Bacarisas, who also steered the men’s softball team to the
24th Southeast Asian Games gold medal in Thailand, in Filipino.
Gametime is at 1 p.m. with the
Dolphins going all out to wrap up the best-of-three series.
“We will go for the clincher
because if we couldn’t finish them in Game 2, we know it would be
harder to beat them in the deciding game,” said Bacarisas.
A decider, if necessary, is set
tomorrow in this event organized by Community Sports Inc. and aired
live at DZSR 918 Sports Radio and updated at www.baseballphilippines.com.
Bacarisas is expected to go for
Orillana, a 27-year-old southpaw from Antipolo City who helped De La
Salle win a pair of UAAP titles in 2000 and 2003.
“He’s our first line of
defense, he’s the heart and soul of the team,” said Bacarisas of
Orillana.
“I focused on bringing the ball
in the corners and not inside the strike zone, that worked for
us,” said Orillana.
Cebu’s win was its first over
Manila this conference and in their last three meetings since the
former lost to the latter in a playoff for third place in the pilot
series of the event backed by Purefoods TJ Hotdog, Gatorade, Mizuno
Sports, Harbour Centre, Industrial Enterprises Inc., Phil.
Transmarin Carriers and Fort Bonifacio Development Corp.
Jerome Bacarisas, a nephew of
Isaac Bacarisas, will be the man to watch at the plate after belting
three RBIs (runs-batted in) in Game 1 including a two-run double in
the three-run eighth inning that proved to be the clinchers.
Another hitter to watch is Jolash
Ponce, who went an impressive four-of-five at bat including an RBI.
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