ILLAM, Iloilo duel for Little League crown

TANAUAN CITY, Philippines – They hacked out semifinal victories in contrasting fashion but just the same, defending champion ILLAM and eliminations topnotcher Iloilo secured their anticipated places in the showdown for the Little League Softball crown of the Little League Philippines Series 2013 here.

ILLAM took care of business by flashing its winning form in crushing Cavite, 14-4, in five innings while Iloilo nearly flubbed its own side of the deal, struggling past stubborn Zambales, 9-8.

The rivals, who engaged in a tightly fought battle on the last day of the elims that went Iloilo’s way, hit the diamond of Barangay Altura at 8 a.m. today to settle their score.

“Our chances are pretty good, especially if our pitchers will deliver. I think this game will be a pitching battle. They have good pitchers, we have good pitchers and whoever will throw better will win it,” said ILLAM coach Buboy Dizer.

Vengeance will be an added motivation for Iloilo, which fell short of its earlier title bid in the 11-12 girls softball plum, no thanks to ILLAM.  “We lost to them in the finals last year. Hopefully, we’ll emerge victorious this time,” said Iloilo coach Rey Fuentes in Filipino.

ILLAM’s Little Leaguers went into destroy mode and, except for two runs surrendered to the Caviteñas at the top of the first, were hardly under threat.

Pouncing on a couple of errors, ILLAM unloaded four runs in the bottom first and from there, nothing could stop the inevitable. By the third frame, ILLAM was comfortably ahead, 9-2, on a two-run double by Therese Macasaet.

In contrast, Iloilo had to do it the hard way.

Trailing 3-8, the Ilonggas scored two runs each in the third and fourth to come to within 7-8. They went for the kill in the fifth, sending two runners home off a pair of sacrifice squeeze to seal the win. 

Iloilo went two-for-two in yesterday’s Last-4 hostilities as its bets in Junior League Softball (12-14) also got through to the finale. The Ilonggas tripped Zambales, 9-4, to book a championship seat against Muntinlupa, which outlasted Makati in a close seven-inning encounter, 1-0, off an error-aided run by Dharlene Dolleton.

Reigning World Series Big League Softball titlist Manila South also defends its Philippine Series crown today at 1:30 p.m. against Pasig.