BASEBALL/Dragons walk off Hawks 5-4 in home opener

Taipei, April 3 (CNA) The Wei Chuan Dragons beat the TSG Hawks 5-4 in their home opener in Taipei on Friday, with Chu Yu-hsien (朱育賢) delivering a walk-off hit.

Chu, serving as designated hitter, came to the plate with the bases loaded after an intentional walk to Dragons slugger Giljegiljaw Kungkuan (吉力吉撈・鞏冠). With the count at 3-1, Chu lifted a fly ball off Wei Hong-liang (韋宏亮) to center field, allowing Zeng Shen-an (曾聖安) to score the winning run.

The hit earned Chu game MVP honors, as the Dragons improved to a league-best 3-1 record in front of a crowd of 9,638 at Taipei Tianmu Baseball Stadium.

However, the biggest hit of the game came from Liu Chun-wei (劉俊緯), whose 426-foot three-run homer in the bottom of the eighth tied the game 4-4. Liu, who had one hit in his previous three at-bats, is now batting .385.

"I think I just enjoyed the process," Liu said of his first home run of the season.

Asked about his shout while rounding the bases, Liu said it was simply part of his style. "I like to encourage my teammates and see them respond."

Liu's homer also spared Dragons starter Bryan Woodall a potential loss. In his sixth season with the team, the American right-hander allowed three runs over 5 1/3 innings.

The two teams will play two more games at the same venue over the weekend.

Also on Friday, the Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions beat the CTBC Brothers 6-2 in Taichung, while the Fubon Guardians edged the Rakuten Monkeys 3-2 in New Taipei.

The Dragons, Uni-Lions and Guardians are tied at 3-1 atop the six-team Chinese Professional Baseball League, while the Brothers and Monkeys are tied for last at 1-4.