Batangas nine rips Alabang

MANILA, Philippines - A youthful Batangas side struck hard against Alabang as the Bulls annexed an abbreviated 12-2 rout over the Tigers in eight innings to join opening day winners Manila and Taguig in the early lead in the Dunkin’ Donuts Baseball Philippines Series VII at the Felino Marcelino Baseball Stadium in Taguig yesterday.

Starter Romeo Jasmin and relief pitcher Vladimir Eguia allowed only three hits while Charles Catangui and Vio Roxas led the Bulls’ offense right in the first inning that set the tone for the lopsided win.

Teddy Landicho and Carlo Banzon singled to start the game before Roxas slammed an RBI double to score Landicho. Catangui followed, smashing half of his four RBIs in the game on a single to score Banzon and Roxas for a 3-0 Batangas lead.

The Tigers have no answer to the Bulls’ pitching as Jasmin yielded only two runs in two hits while fanning four in six innings. Eguia, on the other hand, allowed only a hit and struck out four others after the seventh frame.

The Bulls then scored six runs in the eighth with Pelos Remollo coming up with a two-run triple to end the game via the 10-run mercy rule.

The Bulls decided to go with young players for this series in a bid to finish their campaign with a complete team since UAAP players will not be allowed to play in the league when their season starts late in November while national team players are likely to be tapped for the international and local tournaments.

“With a short tournament, it’s not experience that will propel a team to a title,” said Batangas coach Randy Dizer, who has 12 new players most of which are current high school and former college standouts. “And with the exposure the kids are getting, they are now there now at that level of being a contender.”

Jojo Apura hit on a single to score Jose Miguel San Juan in the fourth while Kevin Ramos scored on an error in the sixth frame for the Bulls.

The Bulls gained on another Roxas RBI and a walk on Tsuyoshi Horibata in the eighth. Ramos added another run-scoring drive with a two-run single to score Roxas and Horibata. Catangui’s double scored Ramos and after a walk on San Juan, Remollo’s deep drive to left field advanced Catangui and San Juan to home plate to end the game.

The league is presented by Dunkin’ Donuts and organized by Community Sports Inc. and sponsored by Gatorade, Rawling’s, Industrial Enterprises Inc., Harbour Centre and The Heritage Park with the Philippine Sports Commission, Philippine Olympic Committee, Philippine Amateur Baseball Association, Philippine Umpires Association and Sports Radio 918 AM as partners.