Elite teams vie in Pangilinan youth baseball

MANILA, Philippines -  Four champion baseball teams slug it out tomorrow for the first Dominador Pangilinan Youth Baseball Invitational at the San Lazaro Leisure and Business Park in Cavite.

Hosted by the Manila Jockey Club Inc. (MJCI), the four-day tournament will be headlined by the Little Razcals who will represent the Philippines in the PONY (Protect Our Nation’s Youth) World Series in the US.

The three other teams competing against the Little Razcals in the single round-robin format are the 2010 Metro Schools League champion Marikina Broncos, PONY Asian Championship- bound Habagat and South Asia Nankyu Championship-bound Bagwis.

Players from all four teams are 12 years old and below and with the exception of the Marikina Broncos are a selection of the best baseball players from across the country.

PONY Baseball Philippines president Rodolfo Tingzon Jr. said the tournament will serve as a tune-up for the international games the teams will be competing in this year. He also hopes the tournament will jumpstart the holding of more regional baseball competitions in the country.

PONY, which originated in the USA in the 1950’s, is now divided into eight zones with four in North America, and one each in Asia-Pacific, Caribbean, European, and Mexican.

The Philippines is bracketed in the Asia-Pacific zone along with Australia, China, Guam, Hong Kong, Japan, Russia (East), Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, and Pakistan.

The games will be broadcast live starting at 10 a.m. over at the San Lazaro Broadcasting Network (SLBN) available on Sky Cable Channel 113 and Destiny Cable Channel 84.

Milo will serve as the official drink of the tournament that is being sponsored by MJCI, PRU Life UK, Philippine Racing Commission, Azzuro, and WilProductions.