NAKHON RATCHASIMA – The RP Blu Girls sustained their record romp against Singapore while the RP Blu Boys scored a close win over Indonesia in the Page System semifinals yesterday, fuelling a bid for double sweep in the SEA Games softball competitions at the Rajabhat University here.
The country’s fabled softball teams go for the gold today.
The Blu Girls reached the final with yet another abbreviated win against the Singaporeans whom they blanked in four and a half innings.
Diane Macasu scored four RBIs while going 3-of-3 while Syrel Ramos threw a one-hitter as the Blu Girls battered the Singaporeans, 7-0, after sweeping three games in the elims all via the mercy rule.
“If given the chance, we’ll go for another abbreviated game tomorrow for an even better record for the Philippine softball,” said RP team women’s coach Ana Santiago.
The Blu Boys, meanwhile, rode high on the one-run homers of Ben Maraveles and Jasper Cabrera as they repeated over Indonesia, 3-1, to reach the men’s final.
The team was holding a precarious 2-1 lead when Cabrera hammered his homerun giving them a two-run cushion in the sixth inning.
“The Indons put up some challenge but the boys proved we’re a team on a higher level,” said coach Isaac Bacarisas.
The Blu Girls set the tone of the match early as they made three-run splurge in the first inning highlighted by a triple by Macasu sending in Belen Asok and Esmeralda Tayag.
They made it 3-0 later in the inning with Emily Tayag singling in Macasu.
Macasu belted two triples in the contest, the second in the fourth inning that highlighted the Blu Girls’ another three-run attack. – Nelson Beltran