Erratic Blu Boys absorb second loss

Christchurch, New Zealand — The Phillippines succumbed to pressures playing softball in its finest form, bowing to Venezuela, 1-8, Saturday and digging a big hole in its embattled bid for the quarterfinals.

The Filipinos simply lost heart and poise the moment the South American champions seized momentum right in the third inning and hastened their own downfall with miscues and error after costly error.

That woeful stand gave the Blu Boys, once at par with the best in the world, their second loss in what had long considered as the Group of Death in the XI men’s world softball championship at Smokefree Ballpark here in Christchurch.

Now their campaign for the Top Eight quarterfinals is teetering on the brink as they would need four victories in their last five games — two against defending champion New Zealand and contender Canada to figure in the race for the fourth and last berth. Even then they are on the losing end of a tiebreak if ever, following their disastrous result against the Venezuelans.

The Blu Boys make a last-gasp crack at the quarterfinals against South Africa at 1 p.m. today, hoping for a victory against a team which had bounced back with a 4-3 lacing of the Netherlands.

The Blu Boys staggered with five errors, the very first the most critical as it touched off a rush of four runs by the Venezuelans and the RP team struggled in the next four innings with sputtering offensives and sloppy defense.

Losing pitcher Roger Rojas lasted two and two-thirds innings, giving up five of Venezuela’s 11 hits and relief pitcher Sonny Boy Acuna, failing to stop the bleeding, absorbed six.

Jhon Garcia took the win for Venezuela, joint pool leader four years ago in East London, South Africa. He posted four strikeouts in six innings against four RP hits to lead the Venezuelans to the win after a sorry start at the hands of the Canadians.

It also kept the team abreast with the rest of the contenders in the group with only the Filipinos and the newcomer Samoans winless in two outings.

The South Americans secured the win with four runs in the upper third inning and four more in the last four cantos capped by the second of two two-run homers off the Filipino hurlers.

The Blu Boys broke a scoring spell behind Orlando Binarao’s long three-base hit to centerfield pushing home Rizel Santos in the third inning but they failed to sustain the drive through their own miscues.

"Parang isinumpa. They couldn’t do anything right," said a disappointed RP head coach Reynaldo Manzanares. The Filipinos looked ready to wage a comeback after their 2-1 defeat to the Australians Friday and were showing some spunk and grit but the instance they have worked up an offensive threat, they simply imploded.

With Manuel Bacarisas and Apolonio Rosales at second and first with one out in the first inning, Mark Rae Ramirez hit a hard grounder but Rosales was slapped an interference on the play to retire the RP side. The Blu Boys had the Venezuelans under pressure after Binarao’s RBI on the third inning but Rosales was forced out by starting off early on a steal at first. "Walang consistency," said assistant coach Eufrocino dela Cruz.

Despite a brave stand by Rojas at the mound, the Venezuelans took charge with four runs aided by a costly fielding error by the Blu Boys in the third inning.

The 35-year-old righthander from Zamboanga had the top of Venezuela’s batting order under check with two outs although Venezuela had two men on base. Then Garcia fired a grounder past Rojas, but Ramirez fumbled Bacarisas’ pick-off throw and Israel Paez, who had singled earlier, dashed home and Jose Rodriguez crashed into Santos at the home plate for another run.

Veteran Ronni Machica then belted the first pitch from a disheartened Rojas for a two-run homer for Venezuela’s four runs.

Host New Zealand shattered Australia, 9-2, in an initial test of strength for the two rivals, giving the two-time defending champion its third straight win. United States and Czech Repiblic led in Pool B with two wins apiece with the US beating Hong, Hong, 7-0, and the Czechs edging Botswana, 1-0.