26 teams vie in big National softball meet

MANILA, Philippines – Twenty six teams, headed by defending champions Air Force in the men’s division and University of the Philippines in the women’s side, have confirmed participation in the 2009 National Open Softball Championships which reels off May 30 to June 5 in two separate venues – Rosario Sport Complex in Pasig City and Sto. Niño fields in Marikina City.

Thirteen other teams are joining the 2008 winner Airmen in the men’s play – Taguig City, Rizal Technological University, Cebu, La Salle-Lipa, Antipolo I, Antipolo 2, Dasmariñas of Cavite, Cavite City, Montalban of Rizal, Laguna Province, Calamba City, Floridablanca of Pampanga and Guagua of Pampanga.

Contesting the Lady Maroons’ reign as the distaff side crown-holder are UP 2, Adamson Manila, Adamson Cavite, RTU I, RTU 2, Ateneo-PAF, Polytechnic University of the Philippines, University of Cirdilleras-Baguio, Zamboanga City and Legends of Pampanga.

Teams in both the men’s and women’s levels will be divided into two groups each which will play a one-round elimination with the two teams from each brackets advancing into the crossover system semifinal round that will decide the two top squads that will dispute the championships, according to Danny Francisco, secretary general of the organizing Amateur Softball Association-Philippines.

As in the past two National Opens organized by ASA-Phil under the leadership of businessman-sportsman Jean Henri Lhuiller, cash prizes outside of the traditional trophies, will be awarded to the top three finishers in both men’s and women’s categories, Francisco announced during Friday’s SCOOP Sa Kamayan weekly session at the Kamayan Restaurant in Padre Faura.