Wild pitch wins game, third place for Dolphins

MANILA, Philippines –  Fulgencio Rances scored the winning run on a wild pitch as the Cebu Dolphins settled for third place honors, edging the Alabang Tigers, 7-6, in the 11th inning yesterday in the Dunkin’ Donuts Baseball Philippines Series VII at the Rizal Memorial Baseball Stadium.

Rances breezed to home plate on a wild pitch from Alabang’s Ryan Alwert to Miggy Corcuera in the bottom of the 11th to clinch the win and third place after finishing second to the Manila Sharks in Series 6 of the league presented by Dunkin’ Donuts and organized by Community Sports Inc.

Rances, a member of the national team, hit a bloop single to right field before advancing to second base on a sacrifice bunt by Jonard Pareja. He moved to third on a groundout on Andoy Velasquez.

Cebu had a 6-0 lead sparked by a run-scoring single by Miggy Corcuera and capped by a two-run double by Bacchus Ledesma in the first frame. But Alabang struck back by scoring four runs in the fourth on run-scoring hits by Kelly Culubong, Boc Boc Bernardo and Anton Manzano.

Alwert scored in the fifth on an error. A Manzano sacrifice fly in the eighth sent Edward Tuazon home to tie the game. Tuazon reached third on a double by Jay Laurel.

Cebu’s Joseph Orillana pitched the whole game and threw 168 pitches, a league record that eclipsed Batangas’ Vladymir Eguia’s 163. He gave up 11 hits but did not allow any hit in the extra frames.

United States Ambassador Harry Thomas and National University’s Arlene Royo, a former UAAP member and tournament organizer of the UAAP baseball and softball tournaments, made the ceremonial pitch to start the best-of-three championship series between the Batangas Bulls and the Sharks being played as of presstime.

The league is sponsored by Gatorade, Rawling’s, Industrial Enterprises Inc., Philippine Transmarine Carriers, Harbour Centre and The Heritage Park with the Philippine Sports Commission, Philippine Olympic Committee, Philippine Amateur Baseball Association, Philippine Umpires Association and Sports Radio 918 AM as partners.