China shuts out Pinays in softball prelims

GUANZHOU – The powerhouse teams of China, Korea and Japan shut out their opponents, paving the way for a three-way showdown for the gold, silver and bronze medals at the start of the Asian Games women’s softball competitions yesterday at the Tianhe softball field.

China, bronze medal winner in Doha, Qatar, crushed Southeast Asian champion Philippines, peppering hurler Veronica Belleza with eight hits for an 8-0 shutout.

Defending champion Japan, fresh from a silver medal finish behind the US in the world championships, finished off Thailand, 15-0, in the third frame under the mercy rule, while Chinese Taipei outclassed Korea, 2-1 in the preliminaries of the six-nation competition.

The Philippines next faces Chinese Taipei, China takes on Thailand, and Japan duels Korea in the second game today.

The top four teams advance to the semifinals with the winners clashing in the gold medal round and the losers fighting for bronze.

Japan is powered by star pitcher Yukikio Ueno, the first person in Olympic history to pitch a perfect game. She was on reserve in yesterday’s game for the bigger tasks ahead.