Japan nine derails RP Blu Boys

Defending champion Japan went through some anxious moments early on but unloaded a bristling offensive in the sixth inning to pound the Philippines’ Blu Boys, 9-2, and earn the first seat in the title match of the seventh Asian Men’s Softball Championship at the Rizal ballpark.

The reigning champs shattered starter Roger Rojas for 2 and 2/3 innings and then secured the win in the lower frame of the sixth by riddling Florante Acuña with six hits for seven runs to decide the contest on mercy rule.

The Blu Boys, already assured of one of the three slots in the World Championship set in January next year in Christchurch, New Zealand after sweeping Group B, could get back at the Japanese in the finals if they could prevail over the Chinese Taipei in the loser’s bracket at 1 p.m. today. The championship is set at 3 p.m.

Chinese-Taipei, which lost to RP, 0-5, in the elimination round Monday, arranged a rematch with the Blu Boys after edging Hong Kong, 2-1, to clinch the last ticket to the Christchurch event.

"Bumigay ang pitcher namin," said RP team coach Reynaldo "Baby" Manzanares. "Wala na rin kasi akong magawa dahil hindi ko naman puwede siyang palitan dahil gagamitin ko pa ang mga natitirang pitchers ko sa next game."

The score did not reflect how close the game was.

A single by Rizel Santos and a throwing error by shortstop Takeshi Osagawara enabled Manolito Binarao to score RP’s first run for a 1-0 lead at the top of the second inning before Yokota Masakuza and Shinichi Nagayoshi belted a home run each in the next two frames for a 2-1 Japan lead.

Then Acuña came in for Rojas.

Acuña, a 25-year-old Airman second class from Zamboanga City, held the Japanese at bay up to the fifth inning with the score tied at 2-all after Joel Binarao, pinchhitting for Melvin Villegas, singled home Romeo Bumagat at the top of the fifth frame.

The Blu Boys had a chance to pull ahead on a sacrifice bunt by Manuel Bacarisas that sent Apolonio Rosales and Manolito Binarao in scoring positions. But Japan’s top pitcher Nobunori Nishimura, replacing Kazutaka Murazato and Tatsuya Hamguchi, fanned Bumagat to defuse the threat and end the inning.

Nishimura earlier struck out Mark Rae Ramirez, who had five RBIs (runs batted-in) before this game, to give the hometown crowd a glimpse of his awesome pitching prowess.

Representative Harry Angping, president of the organizing Amateur Softball Association of the Philippines (Asaphil), said there is nothing to be ashamed over the loss. "We played a good game, we gave it our best and I’m proud of how the boys played," Angping said.

The event is backed Toyota, Cemex, PLDT, Philippine Tobacco Institute, Cathay Pacific Steel Corp., Dowell Container Packaging Corp., San Miguel, Asia Brewery, Maratex, China International Water & Electric Corp. and BA Securities.

In other games, Thailand thumped India, 3-0, while Indonesia blanked Iran, 10-0.