Singapore rules youth baseball

MANILA, Philippines - Singapore ended Manila’s three-year reign as overall champion of the Southeast Asia Youth Baseball and Softball Tournament (SEAYBST) by topping three of five divisions in the fourth edition of the summer event at the Ateneo grounds yesterday.

The visitors swept the three boys classes, bagging the coveted SEAYBST Country Trophy on a climactic 9-8 victory over the hosts in the premier event – Senior Boys finals – played under punishing heat at the Mister Donut main field.

The battle for the overall championship boiled down to the final match as Manila ruled the Major Girls Softball and the Senior Girls Softball then Singapore equalized with victories in Minor Boys and Major Boys Baseball.

Manila suffered a 4-5 heart-breaker in Minor Boys with Matt Heiken, with two outs, singling in Jake Devins in the bottom of the final inning.

Singapore followed it up with a 12-4 rout of the host team in Major Boys before going for the coup de grace in the Senior Boys.

The Singaporeans opened up a 7-0 lead in the third inning.

The Manilans actually waged a fierce chase to move within 8-9, after a three-run homer by Chip Esguerra. But they yielded just the same, seeing the end of their bid on a Paolo Mallari’s pop fly.    

The hosts won the Senior Girls Softball with Manila 2 nipping Manila 1, 9-7. – Nelson Beltran