Tanauan City earns last finals seat in Big League division

MANILA, Philippines – Tanauan City coasted to a lopsided 13-1 win over Camarines Norte Friday to grab the last finals seat in the big league (16-18) baseball tournament of the 2009 Little League Philippine Series at the Rizal Memorial Ballpark. Tanauan City proved too much as the game ended after five innings to set up a finals meeting with International Little League of Manila (ILLAM) on Saturday. The Batangueños had a five-run first inning capped by University of the Philippines player Christian Magnaye’s two-run triple. Richard Gomez drove in two runs in the fifth to end the match via the mercy rule. In big league (16-18) softball, ILLAM-Manila and Rizal will figure in the championship after Sta. Cruz, Laguna got eliminated from the finals race in games at the Rizal Memorial Track Oval. Needing to win all its remaining two games, Sta. Cruz beat ILLAM-Manila, 2-1, in the morning but was upset by Caloocan City, 5-2, in the afternoon to finish with a 5-3 win-loss slate. ILLAM-Manila beat Rizal, 4-2, late Friday afternoon in a finals preview. Both teams finished the eliminations with a 6-2 win-loss card. Rizal beat Bacolod-East, 3-2, in the other game. The ILLAM-Manila-Rizal finals match is set Saturday at the Luneta Park. In senior league (14-16) softball, Bacolod-West ended the eliminations with a 5-0 win over Valenzuela to sweep all five of its elimination round games. – GMANews.TV