INQUIRER Sports

MANILA, Philippines?Manila and Cebu hacked out contrasting victories on Sunday to secure the twice-to-beat semifinal incentives in Baseball Philippines? Series 6 at the Felino Marcelino baseball field in Taguig City.

Philippine team ace Charlie Labrador and the returning Jonjon Robles combined to limit Taguig to five hits and one run as the Manila Sharks routed the Patriots, 7-1, to top the eliminations with a 4-1 record.

The Cebu Dolphins finished No. 2 with the same 4-1 record after outlasting the defending champion Batangas Bulls, 11-8, in a wild and wooly game featuring 26 hits and 10 errors.

The Dolphins and the Bulls, who wound up third, collide again while the Sharks will take on the fourth-ranking Alabang batters in the semifinals Saturday.

Labrador shut out Taguig in the first six innings while striking out three to claim the win for Manila.

?As long as the boys sustain their high level of play, I?m confident that we can go all the way,? said Manila manager Joehl Palanog. ?We?ll do everything we can to prevent what happened before.?

Palanog was referring to the Sharks? hot starts in previous tournaments only to falter in the playoffs.

Cebu banged out 16 hits while Batangas had 10, but the Dolphins committed six errors to the Bulls? four.

After Cebu took an 8-2 lead in the sixth, Batangas scattered runs in the last four innings capped by a three-run splurge in the lower ninth that set the final score.

Linescores:
First Game
MANILA?100 202 101?7-10-0
TAGUIG?000 000 010?1-5-1
Second Game
CEBU?100 052 012?11-16-6
BATANGAS?000 201 113?8-10-4