Erratic start dooms Golden Girls in WS final

MANILA, Philippines - Grand Rapids pounced on an erratic Team Manila side in the early going and went on to dominate the visiting squad, 14-4, and re-claim the Big League Girls Softball World Series crown at the Vanderberg ballpark in Kalamazoo, Michigan Wednesday.

The Golden Girls surrendered six runs right on the top of the first inning on four fielding errors, enabling the Grand Rapids girls to score on three homeruns and turn what was expected to be a close contest into one of the most lopsided victories in a championship playoff of the 28-year history.

It was a sorry finish for the Golden Girls, who had looked forward to completing a stirring comeback from back-to-back setbacks in the elims with a sweep of their next six games for a crack at the championship.

But a pair of miscues by third base girl Elvie Entrina allowed Grand Rapids leftfielder Lauren Bowman and second base girl Kayla Smart to score on a three-run homer by Kelsey Bandstra.

A single by centerfielder Caila Ferro and another error, this time by losing pitcher Julie Marie Muyco, sent the former home, paving the way for Liz Hamming to come up with the team’s second four-bagger in that period alone.

The Central American qualifiers never let up on their attack, peppering reliever Veronica Belleza with 10 of their 12 total hits the rest of the way as the predominantly crowd went into a frenzied celebration.

The Filipinas, whose participation was supported by the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office, Cebuana Lhuillier Pera Padala, Le Soleil de Boracay and Cebuana Lhuillier Insurance Solution, wound up with six errors.

“How can you win with those errors,” rued head coach Filomeno “Boy” Codiñera. “Except for two or three, the girls did not play as seriously as they should have.”

“The girls knew what the opposition was doing and they knew, too, what to do, but they just failed to execute,” Codiñera’s assistant Randy Dizer said.

It was the Filipinas’ second silver medal finish after similar windup of another team two years ago, the only second non-Americans to do it since Big League softball was introduced in 1982.