Air Force men, women rule national softball

The Air Force came through with a three-run salvo in the bottom of the seventh inning and went on to stun Army, 5-4, for the men’s crown in the Philippine National Softball Championships at the Rizal Ballpark yesterday.

Alejandro Velasquez, Anthony Santos and Apolonio Rosales delivered the big plays in the Airmen’s seventh-inning siege that keyed their come-from-behind win for the championship in the weeklong tournament featuring a total of 19 teams from both the men’s and women’s sides.

Air Force completed a double as UP-PAF topped Adamson-Air21, 5-3, to bag the women’s crown.

Polytechnic University of the Philippines finished third and Rizal Technological University wound up fourth in the men’s division.

The Airmen bowed to the Army IX, 2-3, in the first match of the Page System semifinals Saturday but returned the compliment in the finals on a never-say-die attitude. Air Force set a rematch with Army after drubbing PUP in the sudden death of the Page System semis yesterday morning.

The Air Force batters tagged Roger Roxas with six hits, including three in the fateful seventh inning that spelled disaster for the eventual second placers.

Army starting pitcher Ronilon Pagkaliwagan yielded two hits.

Marciano Sta. Maria and Florante Acuna combined for a six-hitter for the Airmen.

The Airmen took control early as Acuna and Gerry Estanislao scored an RBI each in the third inning, but the Armymen swayed the tide in their favor on a three-run attack by Dennis Daep and Oscar Bradshaw in the sixth inning.

Almost everybody in the venue had thought Air Force was goner when Army stretched its lead to 4-2 in the upper seventh on an RBI single by Fidel Moncera.

But the Airmen had other things in mind.

Down by two at the bottom of the seventh, leadoff batter Isidro Abello ignited their coup with a double to centerfield.

Velasquez sent Abello in with a single to the right then went home himself on a hit by Santos to level the count, 4-all.

Rosales delivered the coup de grace with a single to left-center, scoring Santos and sending the Air Force team to a frenzied victory celebration.