Tuesday, April 01, 2008 Cebu Dolphins dart to base with 2nd win in a row
THE CEBU Dolphins lunge into their bid for the second baseball title in a row with a 6-2 win over Forward Taguig Patriots in the opening game of the Baseball Philippine Series 3 held at the Rizal Memorial Stadium last Sunday.
Expansion team Batangas Bulls also showed class when they stamped dominance over Dumaguete Uni-Bikers and Series 2 runnerup Manila Sharks blanked Series 1 champions Makati Mariners, 5-0.
Jeffrey Ardio filled in for the shoes of starting pitcher Joseph Orillana and last season’s MVP to lead the Dolphins to its first victory of 2008 season.
“It’s a good start for us and we hope that we can continue this big wins,” said Cebu manager Zacharias Bacarisas, who was also awarded as last year’s Best Manager.
Cebu was grouped in South Division along with Batangas, Dumaguete and Taguig while Manila, Makati and expansion team Antipolo Pilgrims are ground in North Division.
The opening day of the 2008 BP Series came at the heels of the All Star Games last March 23 where the North Team handed their southern counterpart a 13-5 beating.
Cebu’s next assignment will be the Makati Mariners this Sunday, Manila Sharks on April 13, Batangas Bulls on April 20, Antipolo Pilgrims on May 4 and will close its first elimination campaign against Dumaguete Uni-Bikers on May 11.
Cebu became an instant toast in Series 1 when they finished the elimination round undefeated before losing to Makati in the semifinals. In Series 2, the Dolphins went 7-3 and went to bag the Series 2 title.
This year, Cebu Dolphins parade the same line-up that made them the fancied squad in the season. (RCM)
