Blu Girls rip Thais, gain medal round

INCHEON, South Korea — The Philipine Blu Girls battered all three Thai hurlers  with15 hits in a relentless attack in two innings and belted out a 13-0 victory to  move to the semifinals of the Asian Games softball competitions at the Songdo LNG Baseball Stadium yesterday.

The Filipinas made seven runs in the bottom second and another six in the third in an abbreviated game to finish fourth among six countries and advance to the playoffs against top-ranked Japan today.

A loss by the Filipinas drops them out of the medal race.

China fights Chinese Taipei in the other semifinal.

Japan led the preliminary round with five straight wins, followed by Chinese Taipei (four), China three and the Philippines two.

Veronica Belleza and Annalie Benjamen conceded three and two hits, respectively, and struck out five in two innings while the Filipinas erupted with 15 hits for 13 runs, 12 of them earned, in a game that showcased the Blu Girls offensive might as Southeast Asia’s top softball country.

Thai Mantalampha took the loss.

In the other preliminary games, Chinese Taipie blanked Korea, 6-0, and Japan topped China, 4-1.