ILLAM routs China, eyes Sr League finals

CLARK FREEPORT ZONE, Philippines  â€“ Host Philippines turned to the International Little League Association of Manila (ILLAM) to remain in the hunt in baseball as the Filipino Senior League representative swept Pool A action and secured the No. 1 slot going to the semifinals of the Asia Pacific and Middle East Tournament.

ILLAM wielded its hot bats and crushed China in regulation, 16-4, to finish the elims with an immaculate 3-0 slate halfway through the regional meet being held at the 22-hectare Clark Parade Grounds. 

The Pinoy batters will shoot for a finals berth today when they take on the No. 2 team in Pool B, New Zealand (2-1) in crossover semis. Pool B topnotcher Saipan (3-0) and Pool A runner-up Hong Kong (1-2) will dispute the other ticket to the championship game.

“We like our chances against New Zealand because we have the advantage in pitching. Unlike the other teams, we have 11 pitchers in our roster, plus the boys are well-prepared,” said ILLAM coach Larry Icban, whose wards are in the best position among Phl squads to go deeper in the baseball competitions.

Tanauan City, representing the country in Junior League and Little League, both chalked up victories yesterday but their chances of advancing are quite slim.

The Phl Junior League bets improved to 2-2 after ripping India in a conceded game, 7-0. So one-sided was the match that Tanauan’s batting order all reached home thrice, forcing the Indians to wave the white flag after one completed inning. They stood at fourth in JLB behind Chinese-Taipei (3-0 at presstime), Saipan and Hong Kong (both with 3-2) in the race for the two berths to the championship round.

The Tanauaños’ counterparts in the majors also picked up a second win in four starts. Gaining from the triple of Marty Rañada that sent Reden Tapia to the plate in the sixth frame, the Phl Little Leaguers edged Singapore, 3-2, but remained in the lower half of six-team Pool A, where only two teams will proceed to the crossover semis.

Phl Big League representative Muntinlupa suffered a 3-5 setback at the hands of Guam to drop to 1-3 in the division dominated by Chinese-Taipei (3-0 at presstime).

ILLAM’s rousing triumph over China capped a fiery run in the elims that saw them stamp their class on Thailand (13-5) and Hong Kong (4-2). 

“There were some jitters and nervousness in the first two games but by this time, they have fully adjusted,” said Icban.

The Pinoy Senior Leaguers lay the foundation for the rout by exploding with nine runs off five hits against starter Wan Guo Liang in the first frame. They tagged Wan and his relievers, Deng Hua, Yang Xin, and Zhang Vu with 11 hits in all, with ILLAM pitcher Diego Lozano blasting a grandslam homerun in the second that put the home side out of reach, 15-2. 

Diego Lozano, on the other end, teamed up with Boo Barandian and Nacho Lozano in pitching a two-hitter against the Chinese, who wound up third with 1-2.

“The boys’ hitting was tremendous in this game,” said Icban.

Meanwhile, after a one-day break, reigning Big League Softball world champion Manila South gets back to the field targeting its third straight win today against Indonesia. Also resuming their bids are unbeaten teams Sta. Cruz, Laguna (Senior League Softball), and Iloilo Province (Junior League Softball), which are also taking on Indonesia in their respective divisions. 

The Phl had already qualified a team to the World Series in Iloilo Province (majors), which copped the APME crown in the regionals sponsored by Clark Development Corp., Philippine Sports Commission and KFC.