Japan clobbers RP team in Pony opener

Host Philippines ran into early misfortune and got smothered by powerhouse Japan, 0-19, yesterday at the start of the 30th Asia-Pacific Zone Pony Baseball Championship at the Rizal Memorial Baseball Field.

Tournament favorite Chinese-Taipei likewise opened its campaign with flourish as it flattened Korea, 13-2, in this four-team event serving as the regional qualifier for the Pony World Series in Pennsylvania, USA.

Shogo Iha fanned out nine consecutive Filipino batters he faced before Tsubasa Koja finished off their local rivals with superb stint from both the mound and the plate.

Koja opened the Japan scoring spree with a two-run homer to left field at the bottom of the first inning before Nanki Matsumoto came through with two RBIs (runs-batted-in) as the Okinawa clouters raced to a 4-0 start.

Four runs in the second frame and three more in the fourth buried RP even deeper at 0-11.

Then the Japanese, who arrived a day earlier than expected determined to win it all this time, pounced on the erratic Morong, Bataan-based batters and scored eight more runs in the fourth.

Compounding the Filipinos’ woes was an accidental hit by Matsumoto straight to left arm of Juan Kristopher Angeles, the third of the four hurlers fielded in by coach Noel Katipunan, that bounced off his left jaw. He was rushed into the venue clinic and was brought to the Manila Sanitarium for further check-up.

Incidentally, Angeles was just one of the three hit by stray balls at the start of this four-day event backed by Jollibee, Purefoods and Coca-Cola and supported by the Philippine Sports Commission and Pagcor.

Earlier, Korean pitcher Sung Gi Min was thumped by a drive of Taiwanese Yang Sheng Chih straight onto the former’s right cheek that ricocheted to the left field.

Sung was rushed to the Manila Doctors Hospital in Manila and RP Tot baseball president Rodolfo "Boy" Tingzon, Jr. said the Koreans was in fine condition.

Hung Hao was also hit in his right collarbone and was also brought to the Manila Sanitarium.