Pasig cops national men’s softball title

Hurler Ronillon Pagkaliwagan dished out another solid effort as Pasig City drubbed Laguna, 8-1, late Monday to cop the men’s crown in the National Open Softball Championship before a home city crowd at the Rosario grounds.

Pagkaliwagan, a former national team standout who was the pitching coach of China’s junior team for five years, yielded only three hits to key the victory that capped Pasig’s sterling campaign in the tournament.

"We played as a team, all of us are heroes," said Pagkaliwagan, player-coach of the Pasig squad which swept all its seven games, including a 5-1 rout of Laguna in the page system semifinals that clinched it a spot in the finals.

Led by RP team mainstay Roger Rojas, Laguna bounced back by surviving a late fight back from Agoncillo to eke out a pulsating 5-4 win to earn a crack at the crown and a rematch with Pasig.

The women’s crown was won by University of Santo Tomas following a 2-0 triumph over University of the Philippines at the Sto. Nino grounds.

Asaphil president Harry Angping later awarded the individual trophies that went to Agoncillo’s Apol Rosales (best slugger), Pagkaliwagan (pitcher), Zamboanga’s Manolito Binarao (hitter), Rizal’s Anthony Santos (most RBIs), Cebu’s Manuel Bacarisas (most home runs) and Pasig’s Davis Magsino (most stolen bases).

The women’s awardees were Rizal’s Belen Asok (hitter, slugger and MVP), UST’s Aiza dela Torre (pitcher), Caloocan’s Nelia Lara (most RBIs), La Salle’s Gina Salvador (most home runs) and UST’s Nympha Baral (most stolen bases). — Joey Villar