Cebu overpowered Marikina, 16-8, yesterday to top the Southern Conference and formally clinch the twice-to-beat advantage in the Division Finals of Baseball Philippines‚ Series 2 at the Rizal Baseball Stadium.
The Dolphins, who also topped the elimination round in the pilot series early this year, peppered the Shoemakers with a whopping 12 hits while pouncing on the erratic fielding by their foes to seal a seventh win in 10 games.
Cebu, in fact, fed on Marikina’s 15 errors including four in the seventh inning and five in the ninth that translated to 10 runs, sealing the triumph. Cebu will need just a win over the winner of the division playoffs between Dumaguete and Forward Taguig, which are playing at press time, to barge into the best-of-three finale.
“It’s a nice way to enter the division championship with a win,” said Cebu coach Isaac Bacarisas, who will coach the RP men’s softball team in the 24th Southeast Asian Games this week in Nakhon Rathcasima, Thailand, in Filipino.
Marikina, composed of standouts from University of the Philippines and Ateneo de Manila, absorbed a fifth setback against the same number of wins but still ended up at second place in the North.
The Shoemakers play pilot series champions Makati Mariners, who finished third with a 4-6 (win-loss) slate, on Saturday owning a twice-to-beat advantage. A do-or-die match, if necessary, is on Sunday.
The Manila Sharks, who trounced the Mariners, 7-5, Saturday, booked the top seeding in the North and the crucial incentive that goes with it.
The Series Finals starts on Dec. 19 with Game 2 set on Dec. 22. A decider, if necessary, is on Dec. 23. – Joey Villar