MANILA, Philippines - Host Philippines put up a brave stand before succumbing to defending champion Chinese-Taipei, 1-6, to miss the finals in the Pony Baseball/Softball International’s 2010 Asia-Pacific Zone Pony Division Championships at the Sto. Niño grounds in Marikina City yesterday.
The Taiwanese, who topped the last staging of the event four years ago also in the same venue, relied on the solid pitching of Tang Huai Lin, Tuli Fan and Lin Hao Yu which limited the Filipinos to only two hits.
Chinese-Taipei scored only six runs against the Filipinos after hammering Japan, 22-2, in Sunday’s opener of this four-day meet organized by Philippine Tot Baseball Foundation president Rodolfo “Boy” Tingzon Jr. and hosted by Marikina City headed by Mayor Del de Guzman.
It was the second loss for the Filipinos following Monday’s 1-14 setback to the Japanese that relegated the former to today’s battle for third place with the Indonesians at 10 a.m. of this event sponsored by Globe Business, 100 Plus and Summit Natural Drinking Water.
The two hits RP managed came from John Lopez and Javier Lopez in the bottom of the seventh and final inning on a one-run single to centerfield by the latter that sent the former home.