Guamanians manhandle ILLAM Little Leaguers

Powerhouse Guam sent host Philippines down on its knees yesterday, pounding out a 13-3 victory to march into the finals of the Asia-Pacific Little League Baseball Championship at the Rizal Memorial baseball stadium.

The Filipinos tried to put up a gallant fight but the Guamanians, the reigning Pacific champion, simply proved too much during the six-inning, two-hour encounter as the visitors completed a four-game sweep of the single-round elimination.

The Guamanians peppered RP pitchers Paolo Mallari, Aldo Panlilio and Carlos Borromeo with a total of nine hits, including a home run each by Jon Dazo, Roberto Sammy and Rosario Brandon.

Guam will take on Saipan in tomorrow’s final with the winner representing the region in the Little League World Series scheduled Aug. 20-26 in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.

Guam defeated Saipan in the elims, 4-3, and will try to duplicate it in search of a first trip to the World Series showcasing the best Little League players aged 11 to 12 years.

The Philippines, represented by the International Little League Association of Manila (ILLAM), finished fourth with a 1-3 slate. Its lone victory came at the expense of New Zealand, 9-6, the other day.

In the other game, Korea banked on shortstop Soo Young Cho’s RBI in the third inning as it edged Hong Kong, 1-0, in the Asian division where Japan is the defending champion. The Japanese also won the crown in Pennsylvania last year.

Guam drew first blood against the Philippines, taking a 1-0 lead after the first inning. But the Filipinos exploded with three runs on two hits at the bottom of the second frame for a 3-1 lead that sent the host team into a frenzy.

But the celebration proved short-lived as the Guamanians, behind Dazo, Sammy and Brandon, started to hit their target and helped their team score the last 12 runs of the game.