RP Blu Girls nip Sokors for fifth place

Sweet revenge.

Host Philippines leaned on a sensational diving catch by Dione Macasu at left field in the final inning to get back at fancied South Korea, 10-9, yesterday for a decent fifth place finish in the eighth Asian Softball Championship at the Rizal Ballpark.

Shifted to left field after yielding three runs atop the third inning, Macasu rose to the occasion as she prevented what could have been a game-tying run by Kim Min Young on that diving catch.

That catch triggered a frenzied celebration in the venue with the Blu Girls rushing to Macasu then whooping it up together in celebration of the victory that washed away the heartaches of their earlier losses, including a 0-7 defeat to the Koreans Friday.

Athens Olympics bronze medalist Japan blanked Chinese-Taipei, 5-0, to win the coveted crown.

The Taiwanese finished second after dethroning the Chinese Mainlanders, 5-4, in eight innings earlier.

"Masaya, masarap," said the San Miguel, Bulacan native on her emergence as the team’s biggest heroine. "Kailangang saluhin, nakasalalay kasi yung game dun."

"Magandang panalo ito dahil bukod sa fifth place kami, nakabawi rin kami sa kanila," said RP team coach Rolly Malaguit.

Esmeralda Tayag and Joan Locsin, teammates at University of Santo Tomas and members of the RP squad that saw action in the World Juniors Championship in Nanjing, China last year, led the attack at the plate as the two combined for five hits that produced four runs.

Tayag, who went three-of-four at bat and batted in three runs to power RP to a 12-1 demolition of Indonesia early in the day, was perfect this time, going 3-of-3 while Locsin, who hails from Bacolod City, was 2-of-3 in a pair of superb efforts that rubbed off to the rest of the Blu Girls.

Macasu would have been the goat if not for that gem of a catch.

Hit by three runs with no out and the bases loaded atop the third inning, Macasu was replaced by UP teammate Heidilyn Arca, who held her ground as she allowed only two runs until the seventh and final inning when disaster almost struck.

With two outs and the bases loaded again, Pak Sun Yeo sent the ball flying at right field for a two-run single while a pair of fielding and pitching errors made it a 9-10 count before the gritty Macasu entered the fray to knock the South Koreans out.