Two-time champ Batangas battles Alabang IX

MANILA—Two-time champion Batangas will lead three other teams in jacking up its chances for the next round of the Baseball Philippines Series 8 at San Sebastian field in Lipa City.

The Series 3 and 5 champion Bulls, who are struggling with a new and inexperienced team, will take on the Taguig Patriots at 1 p.m. The Alabang Tigers will clash with the Dumaguete Unibikers in the curtain-raiser at 9 a.m.

All of them will be chasing seats for the next round after getting left behind by runaway leaders Manila and Cebu, which already booked flights to the semifinals with identical 7-1 card.

The Sharks, champions in the past two tournaments, and the Dolphins, the Series 2 and 4 titlists, will go at it tomorrow in another out-of-town sortie at the Aboitiz field in Mandaue City in Cebu.

The Cebu-Manila match, which many deem a preview of the title series, will mark the first time the league will go out of Luzon after eight tournaments.