Philippines IX scores EABC sweep, five-peat

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines smothered Hong Kong, 9-2, yesterday to complete a sweet sweep and a five-peat feat in the East Asia Baseball Cup at The Villages Sports Center in Clark, Pampanga.

Romeo Jasmin was the Filipinos’ deliverance as he allowed just one run in the first six innings to help set the tone before catcher Mark Manaig belted a three-run homer that lit a decisive five-run eighth inning. Jasmin was later named the Most Valuable Player.

The crown underscored the country’s dominance of the biennial event with the Filipino clouters reigning supreme for a fifth straight time in the event presented by Smart, PLDT Home and the Philippine Sports Commission.

“It’s a sense of relief, honestly,” said Philippines manager Vince Sagisi, a former Cleveland Indians scout.

“Anytime you play a tournament of this magnitude in your home country, there’s a lot of expectations. So the eventual winning of the championship, it’s almost a relief,” he added.

The Philippines secured a spot to next year’s Asian Championships with the victory.

Jasmin was nothing short of magnificent as he yielded just a run on four hits and fanned out four batters, and, in the fourth inning with the bases loaded, escaped with a double play that helped quashed Hong Kong’s attempt to stem the tide in its favor.