Softball team cinch to win SEAG gold

Unless disaster strikes, the Philippines is bound to win the gold medal in softball when the country hosts the Southeast Asian Games next year. And if all things work out fine, a medal in the 2006 Asian Games in Doha, Qatar would not be far-fetched.

"Kung itong tournament na ito ang pagbabasehan natin, sure gold na tayo sa SEA Games niyan," said RP team coach Rolly Malaguit, who recently steered the Blu Girls to a decent fifth place finish in the strong eighth Asian Softball Championship at the Rizal Memorial ballpark.

Truly, RP twice smashed Indonesia, the team likely to give the country the biggest challenge, with a 3-0 victory in the elimination round and a 12-1 triumph in the consolation pool matches that paved the way for a fifth place finish.

It slammed Thailand, 8-0, and blasted Malaysia, 10-0, also in the qualifying round. Singapore was the only SEAG country the host team didn’t face because it played in the other group where it finished fourth, setting up a duel with Indonesia. But the Indonesians easily handled the Singaporeans in a 4-2 win.

"This is a good indication that softball is fast improving in the country," said softball president Harry Angping, who came in two years ago to breathe new life into the slowly dying discipline.

"Give us a few more years and several international exposures and we can be competitive not only in our region and in the Asian level but also internationally," he added.

Angping is setting his sights on a medal in the Doha Games and erase the stigma of a forgettable performance in the 2002 Busan Games where the Nationals didn’t score a single run to finish dead last.

"It’s possible since we defeated South Korea and we almost beat North Korea," Angping explained. "China and Chinese Taipei are also beatable so there is nothing wrong aiming for an Asian Games medal."

But first things first, Angping has lined up exhibition matches possibly against Japan, China and Chinese Taipei, which shocked defending champion China to place second behind eventual titlist and 2004 Athens Olympics bronze medalist Japan, before joining a pre-SEA Games event in Jakarta, Indonesia next year.

The Blu Girls are also seeking to qualify in the 2006 World Championship in Beijing, China through the backdoor if the host Chinese could not complete the prescribed 16-team field.

"Hopefully we could make it there because it would be very important for us since we’re preparing for the Doha Asian Games at the that time," said Angping whose wards were a run short of beating the North Koreans and gaining passage to the Beijing tilt.