Dumaguete made it two in a row over fancied Forward Taguig, pulling off a 3-1 decision yesterday to arrange a showdown with Cebu for the championship in Baseball Series’ IV at the Rizal Baseball Stadium.
The Dolphins, the Series II champions, blazed the Batangas Bulls with three runs in the last inning to score a come-from-behind 8-6 victory in the other semifinal duel.
Hurler Darwin dela Calzada struck out eight while yielding five hits and a run to power the Unibikers to a return trip to the finals of the league organized by Community Sports Inc.
Dumaguete, which needed two wins to advance to the finals, forced the sudden death with a 7-1 win over Taguig Saturday. Batangas also dragged Cebu, the top team in the classification round, to a rubber match with a 9-2 victory.
“He (dela Calzada) is the heart and soul of the team and I’m very happy he delivered,” said Dumaguete team manager Lito Pulgo in Filipino.
Game One of the best-of-three finals is set on Dec. 13 starting at 10 a.m.
The Unibikers pelted losing pitcher Fer Badrina with nine hits en route to a three-run blitz that put to naught the Patriots’ twice-to-beat edge after finishing No. 2 in the classification round.