ILLAM nines unscathed on 4 fronts

MANILA, Philippines - The International Little League Association of Manila or ILLAM yesterday built playgrounds of its own as it remained unbeaten in all four baseball divisions of the 2009 Little League Philippine Series.

The ILLAM All-Stars won in Luneta and the Rizal Memorial diamond and track stadium in another hot, humid day for the weeklong tournament that drew 1,300 players from 94 teams.

ILLAM notched its third straight win in the Little League baseball by beating Manila, 13-0, and had the same record in the Junior League following an 18-6 win over Marikina.

In the Senior League, ILLAM blanked Manila, 7-0, and in the Big League, the All-Stars had a field day crushing Camarines Norte.

Bacolod-West continued to show the way in the Senior League softball following a merciless 25-0 beating of Makati. With a 4-0 record, Bacolod-West is a step away from the finals.

Analie Benjamin booked a no-hitter in two innings, setting the tone for the runaway victory before being pulled out in a bid to save her energy for tougher games that may come along.

ILLAM’s softball team was as dominant against Makati, 20-2, and stayed on course for a title showdown with Negros-West.

There’s some excitement building up in Big League softball as ILLAM, Rizal and Sta. Cruz (Laguna) all stood at 3-1. ILLAM defeated Bacolod-East, 6-1, while Rizal prevailed over erstwhile unbeaten Sta. Cruz, 8-3. – Abac Cordero