Taiwanese pound RP tots, book ticket to World Series

Chinese-Taipei peppered Team Philippines with a volley of hits as it stormed to a 12-2 victory yesterday to rule the 2005 Asia Pacific Zone Bronco Baseball Championship before a big crowd at the Sto. Niño Baseball grounds in Marikina City.

Lin Chih Hao led the siege with three hits in four times at bat as he came through with five runs, including a grand slam in the third inning that sailed over the pink-colored right field fence.

It was just one of the 14 hits connected by the Taiwanese, who topped last year’s event held in Beijing, China, in a game that was cut short to just five innings because of the 10-run lead or mercy rule in this event backed by Blue Wave Marquinton, Asia Brewery Absolute, Jollibee, Golden Vine Laboratory, Chikiting Patrol Foundation, and Image Travels and Tours.

Also scoring for the visiting squad were Wang Chia Ching, Lin Tzu Wei, Chen Wei Hao and Liu Yu Chen, who combined for a total of eight hits that resulted to seven RBIs (runs-batted-in).

The hosts, composed of batters from Marikina, didn’t go down without a fight.

Down 0-10 and with one out in the bottom of the fourth frame, Team RP went to first baseman Erin Ermino, who batted a double to left field that sent hurler Lauren Vispo and Kenneth Natividad safely home for the Filipinos’ first two runs.

But those also proved to be their last as winning pitcher Zing Chung Lin, who had a total of seven strike outs in a no-relief job, fanned out the next three local batters, sparking a celebration by the Taiwanese at centerfield with the victory sending them back to Monterey, California for the Bronco Baseball World Series starting Aug. 4.

Vispo, who pitched a five-hitter and struck out 13 batters in a 7-2 stunner over Japan Friday, struck out nine batters but just couldn’t neutralize Chinese Taipei’s awesome form at the plate.

"Malalakas talaga silang pumalo (They’re strong hitters)," said the 12-year-old Vispo.

Still, Rodolfo "Boy" Tingzon Jr., president of the organizing Philippine Tot Baseball Foundation, was proud of the RP tots’ performance.

"There is nothing to be ashamed of. The boys played their best and we should be proud of them," said Tingzon, who is also preparing for the 2005 Pan Pacific Junior Baseball Games slated Aug. 11-14, also in this city.

The Filipinos consoled themselves though with the victory of Joseph Angelo Ocampo in the hitting derby hours earlier after belting out six homers, edging Chinese Taipei’s Lin Tzu Wei, who had five.