Powerhouse New Zealand halts Blu Boys’ charge

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippines stumbled on a powerhouse defending champion New Zealand side and fell, 8-1, in a regulation five-inning match for its first loss in three games in the XII World Men’s Softball Championship in Saskatoon, Canada. The Kiwis, winners of this quadrennial tournament since 1996, settled the score with the RP Blu Boys right at the top of the opening frame where they peppered rookie starting and losing hurler Vic Enriquez with three connections that netted five runs. Coach Zacky Bacarisas tried his two other pitchers – Gregorio Marquez, who surrendered three more runs in the second and Marlon Pagkaliwagan, who somewhat held his own in a three-inning relief. “As I have been saying, we need to expose our newcomers to the game para sa mas importanteng games. Hindi naman natin kailangang talunin ang New Zealand dahil alam naman nating powerhouse ito," Bacarisas said later. “What we need here is to win all the games we ought to win para makapasok sa quarterfinals. Two games na lang pasok na tayo, bakit pa natin isusugal yung malalakas na puede pang madisgrasya," he added. If it’s any consolation, the Blu Boys had the distinction of breaking the Kiwis’ record of not yielding a run in the tournament. Prior to their dismantling of the Filipinos, the Kiwis posted a pair of shutout triumphs, 15-0 over the United States in only five innings, and 14-0 over Great Britain in four. Third baseman Apol Rosales delivered the Filipinos’ rare hit and run at the bottom of the first against winning pitcher Shaanon Heinie. A veteran of two previous world championships, lead-off batter Rosales slammed Heinie’s breaking ball with a solid impact, sending the leather to deep right-center field to reach third standing. Appearing nervous for yielding his team’s first hit in the 16-team field, Heinie was then called for an illegal pitch opposite rightfielder Orlando Binarao at the plate and allowed Rosales a run. Binarao, who coaches Adamson U’s UAAP champion baseball team when not playing, came back in the fourth and tagged Heinie with a double, which the Blu Boys failed to translate into a run. The setback momentarily halted the Blu Boys’ determined charge into the Final 8 as they fell into a two-way tie for second place with the US and Japan with identical 2-1 win-loss slates in Pool A behind the Kiwi’s immaculate 3-0. The Americans blanked the Japanese, 3-0, for their second win in three games, cutting the Japanese’s two-game win skein. – GMANews.TV