Smokey belles on top of the heap

MANILA, Philippines - They finally fulfilled a gem of a dream that started in a diamond carved out of mountain of trash.

The Gawad Kalinga Smokey Mountain belles completed a grand feat in Little League Philippine Series, humbling last year’s winner and World Series veteran Sta. Cruz, Laguna, 13-3, to clinch the senior league softball crown at the Sumulong grounds in Marikina City Sunday night.

Lovely Redaja, 16, gave  up just three hits while fanning out 11 batters in six complete innings while blasting a Janel Cruz fastball over the fence and past the centerfield for a three-run homer in the bottom sixth to seal the victory.

The Smokey Mountain clouters thus completed a seven-game sweep to clinch a berth in the Asia-Pacific Regionals set June 30-July 6 in Clark City, Pampanga.

It was sweet revenge for Smokey Mountain, which dropped a heartbreaking 3-4 loss to the Sta. Cruz squad in Tanauan City last year that netted the latter a berth in the Aspac and eventually the World Series in Bangor, Maine, USA.

“Pinaghandaan talaga namin ito kasi tinalo nila kumi nung nakaraang taon (We really prepared hard for this one after they beat us last year),” said Smokey Mountain coach Manny Llave, whose charges also slammed Sta. Cruz, 14-4, in their elimination round meeting.

Philippine Sports commissioner and Little League Phl administrator Jolly Gomez said Smokey Mountain’s recent feat is a triumph of the spirit.

“They served as an inspiration to all of us, this is what the Little League Phl Series is all about,” said Gomez.

In major league baseball, Tanauan City gave San Antonio, Zambales a 10-4 win to retain the crown while putting itself in prime position to represent the Asia Pacific region in the World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania this year.

“We started out strong and finish stronger, those things really helped us,” said Tanauan mentor Romar Landicho.

All the Tanauan batters needed was a strong start sparked by an inside-the-park homer by Kenneth Torres that sent brothers John and Kean Natanguihan, each coming through with a base hit in the previous plays, home.

Eden Tapia then made it a three-run opening inning by hitting a home run himself.

It was all Tanauan show from there as San Antonio, which made quite an impression by beating fancied teams, failed to get its game going against the former’s superb fielding.

Failing to win it in the majors, ILLAM struck in other fronts as it topped the junior and senior league baseball with a 14-7 and 13-3 wins over Muntinlupa.

Iloilo, for its part, reigned supreme in both little and junior league following its 20-0 rout of Muntinlupa and a 12-1 romp over Makati, respectively.

It was, however, the batters from Smokey Mountain that produced the series’ worthiest win.

Making do with enough funding and needing to borrow some equipment like bats and batting helmets, Smokey Mountain still ended up dominating the opposition, beating Naga, 21-0, holding off Bulacan, 8-6, and Dasmarinas, 6-4, in the preliminaries before repeating over Bulacan in the semis, 15-5, and eventually dismantling Sta. Cruz.

“The girls that we have only wanted to play regardless of the circumstances,” said Llave.