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Pinoy big league, senior league baseball teams gain World Series berths
The Philippine representatives to the Big League and the Senior League competitions will both be going to the World Series.
Senior league representatives Tanauan and big league reps from the International Little League Association of Manila saved their best for last, demolishing Indonesia and Saipan, respectively, to each capture berths to book a trip to the United States.
Tanauan made mincemeat of an Indonesian crew it has dominated entirely in the Asia Pacific Championship at the Rizal Memorial Baseball Field on Friday, 10-0, a result that proved the Filipinos’ 15-1 and 11-0 routs of the same team were no fluke.
ILLAM was just as furious, frustrating whatever hopes Saipan had of representing the region in the worlds with a similarly dominant 7-1 conquest that was witnesses by a sizeable crowd at the historic field.
The Batanguenos will vie in the Big League World Series slated August 14 to 20 in Bangor, Maine, while the ILLAM squad will fly to Easley, Southern California, for the Senior League worlds from July 27 to August 3.
Pitching did it for both local squads with Tanauan’s Melvin Rosita and ILLAM’s Tsuyoshi Horibata delivering the lethal blows without relief.
Rosita allowed just three hits and struck out two to complement the excellent bats of Miguel Olmos, Andrew Mercado and Christian Mercado in the abbreviated victory by the Batanguenos.
“This win is a product of good team work,” said Tanauan coach Chito Mercado. “We scored two regulated wins against Indonesia but one thing that I reminded the boys was not to be overconfident. And they responded well.”
It was a different story for loser Dedi Utomo, who in 4 2/3 innings surrendered 10 hits and yielded seven runs that included Christian Mercado’s base hit to deep center that scored Olmos and Andrew Mercado as Tanauan set the tone for the rout with a 3-run binge in the first inning.
Tanauan scored at least a run in the next four innings, before finally frustrating the Indons with another 3-run explosion in the sixth frame.
For ILLAM, it was Horibata’s determination and confidence that helped the team through the Saipan.
Towering over most of the other players at five-foot-10, Horibata asked for his coach Edgardo Delos Reyes’s trust that he practically put matters into his own hands. De los Reyes heeded and his decision turned out perfect.
Horibata proved true to his word of giving up only one run in a 7-hit, 2-strikeout performance that netted the ILLAM boys the ticket to California.
“Before the game, he asked me that he be allowed to pitch this game and he really pitched very well. But aside from Horibata, we also found our hitting and our defense to be solid. The warm support of the crowd also contributed a lot since they were our 10th man,” said De Los Reyes.
Illam had 10 hits against Joseph Palacios who relieved Macgratte Duenas after hurling consecutive walks to Leandro Banzon and Mark Ong right in the first inning.
