Taiwan routs RP, seals title tiff vs Japan

Chinese Taipei sealed a title match with archrival Japan as it overpowered host Philippines, 12-1, yesterday to set up a much-awaited re-match in the 2006 Asia Pacific Zone Pony Division Championship at the Sto. Niño grounds in Marikina City.

Su Chi Sheng and Wang Chun Po limited the Filipinos to just five hits and one run as the Taiwanese completed a three-game sweep of the preliminaries of this event bankrolled by Lotte Food Corp., Yellow Cab and PCSO.

Adrian Bernardo played his best thus far at the mound but he couldn’t simply contain the defending champion’s superb batting in 4 and 2/3 innings.

Mark Ong, a tall, long-limbed and athletic lad who plays his best at shortstop, closed it out for RP but he too was helpless against the Taiwanese, who belted 15 hits including a home run in the one-sided contest.

"We played better a bit better. We weren’t as overwhelmed as yesterday against Japan," said RP team assistant coach Rajah Singh referring to a crushing 1-23 loss to the Japanese.

"But their batting was just awesome," he added.

The Filipinos will try to secure third when they go up against the Russians, whom they smothered, 14-3, in the elims, in their duel at 10 a.m.

The finale of this event, organized by the Philippine Tot Baseball Foundation headed by Rodolfo "Boy" Tingzon Jr. and the city of Marikina through its gracious Mayor Marides Fernando, is set at 1 p.m.

The Japanese formally clinched the other finals berth by smashing the Russians, 30-1. Their only loss came at the hands of the Taiwanese, 5-6, decided by five runs in the fifth inning.

The best the host squad, represented by batters from the International Little League Association of Manila (ILLAM), could offer was a run atop the fourth inning thanks to a sacrifice hit by Ong that sent Bernardo home.