BASEBALL/Cheng Tsung-che drives in two as Red Sox blank White Sox

Taipei, July 9 (CNA) Taiwanese infielder Cheng Tsung-che (鄭宗哲) recorded his second consecutive multi-hit game and drove in two runs Wednesday as the Boston Red Sox defeated the Chicago White Sox 5-0 in Chicago.

Batting ninth and starting at shortstop, Cheng went 2-for-3 with two singles, a walk, two RBIs and a strikeout, raising his batting average to .273.

His first hit came in the top of the third inning, when he lined an RBI single with a runner on second to give the Red Sox a 1-0 lead. Boston went on to score three runs in the inning to take control of the game.

The Red Sox added another run in the fourth on Carlos Narváez's RBI single before Cheng followed with another run-scoring single to right field with runners on the corners, extending the lead to 5-0.

Cheng drew a walk in the sixth but was caught stealing second before striking out in his final plate appearance in the eighth.

The performance marked Cheng's second straight game with two hits after he collected the first multi-hit game of his Major League Baseball (MLB) career against the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Red Sox starter Jake Bennett turned in his best outing of the season, allowing four hits and one walk while striking out four over seven scoreless innings to earn his fourth victory as his ERA fell to 2.64.

White Sox starter Davis Martin took the loss after giving up five runs on six hits over four innings.

The victory secured Boston the three-game series against Chicago after the Red Sox won Tuesday's opener. Cheng did not play in that game, and the teams are scheduled to conclude the series Thursday.

With the win, the Red Sox improved to 42-48 and remained fourth in the American League East, half a game behind the third-place Toronto Blue Jays and 12 games behind the division-leading Tampa Bay Rays.

（By Chao Yen-hsiang）Enditem/kb