RP team places 2nd in Big League Softball World Series

MANILA, Philippines – Hometown Grand Rapids made the hits that mattered the most against visiting Team Manila to win the 26th Big League Softball World Series, 2-1, after two extra innings were played Saturday at Vanderberg Park in Kalamazoo, Michigan. The hosts were out-hit 9-4 by the Asia-Pacific champions but Brittini Merchant and Liz Chappel tagged losing pitcher Jenny Pangilinan with two huge homeruns as Grand Rapids rebounded from a 1-0 deficit after five innings to win. Pangilinan, a 16-year old pitcher who plays for the University of the East, seemed headed for a big win in a young pitching career after she limited her rivals to just a hit into Grand Rapids’ final stint at-bat in the bottom seventh. But Pangilinan lost her touch, allowing Merchant to score the homer that iced the game at 1-all and forged the extension. Reliever Sara Driesenga who took the mound after starter Kara Doornbos yielded a run in the fifth and hurdled a full-base situation for her rival team in the sixth inning, then blanked Team Manila in the next two innings to allow Grand Rapids one last crack at the victory. Chappel won against a full-count situation as Pangilinan's pitch went into her rival’s strike zone for a long hit that went over the centerfield fence to send the full-packed gallery in jubilation. It was the second title for Grand Rapids in the Big League after six years. Despite losing in the Finals, the team coached by Filomeno Codiñera Jr. already made history by becoming the first Asia-Pacific team to make it into the championship round. – GMANews.TV