Marikina edged Forward Taguig, 8-7, yesterday to inch closer to the twice-to-beat advantage in its playoff with defending champion Makati in Baseball Philippines’ Series 2 at the Rizal Memorial baseball field.
Shortstop John Apura blasted a one-run double at the bottom of the seventh, giving the Shoemakers a firm grip of second place in the North with a 5-4 (win-loss) slate.
Marikina will need to beat Cebu, which has already topped the Southern Conference with a 6-3 record, today to gain the playoff edge.
Earlier, Manila, already in the semis even before the game started, unleashed a five-run binge on top of the 13th inning to outlast Forward Taguig, 8-3, at the resumption of their postponed game two weeks back.
It was the Sharks’ seventh victory in nine games while the Forwarders absorbed their seventh setback against two triumphs in this event organized by Community Sports, Inc.
The No. 2 teams will enjoy the twice-to-beat incentive against the No. 3 squads.
The winners of the Division playoffs will then need to beat the Division champions twice to make it to the best-of-three title series.
Tied at two-all after 11 innings, the Sharks gained headway when they scored on a throwing error by pitcher Michael Ray Solis but the hurler came back with a one-run single that knotted the count again at 3-all.
Larry Icban sparked a five-run splurge on top of the 13th inning before Romeo Jasmin held his fort at the mound to seal the win.