Lefty Ernesto Binarao, the youngest of the Binarao baseball-playing brood from Zamboanga City, confused the ballbusters with his repertoire of pitches that produced only two hits. His teammates torpedoed three Ballbuster hurlers with 13 as the Airmen, runners-up in this series last year, showed why they are still a serious contender for the title being defended for the fifth time by archrival Philippine Navy.
Third baseman Virgilio Roxas, one of eight members of the national team in the lineup, batted in three runs, highlighted by a two-run round-tripper at the top of the third inning where coach Robert Iturralde’s clouters all but decided the outcome.
Centerfielder Ric Jimenez matched Roxas’ three RBIs in a similar three-of-five times at the plate that saw Philab mentor Edgar delos Reyes shuffled Roel Batuto, Charlie Labrador and Elmer Mendoza at the mound in a futile effort.
And while his teammates were making mincemeat of the Philab bullpen, Binarao shut out the enemies in five innings, surrendering a hit, at the bottom of the sixth, that yielded the Ballbusters’ only marker.
Throwing a variety of fastball, curves and sliders, the 24-year-old pride of Zamboanga struck out four of the 25 batters he faced, allowing two other Ballbusters on board on base-on-balls.
With one down, Batuto walked Jimenez at the upper half of the third in what proved to be his waterloo as Roxas, batting next, sacked the losing pitcher’s third pitch deep down the left-center field, sending the leather past 320 feet over the fence.