Blu Girls rout Thais, claim 7th SEAG title

PALEMBANG – The Blu Girls scored a 6-0 shutout of Thailand in what looked like a formality as they capped their sweep of the softball competitions and notched their seventh women’s softball gold in the Southeast Asian Games since joining the Games for the first time in 1977.

The Blu Girls battered Thai hurler Parima Phandakiri with 13 hits and the Filipinas scored three runs in the first, two in the third and one in the sixth to repeat over the Thais whom they also bludgeoned, 10-1, in the eliminations.

Winning pitcher Marie Julie Muyco, handpicked from Adamson U, struck out 12 of 21 batters she faced, conceding only three hits and stranding five in a tough defensive job.

“We anticipated everything, but we expected to win. We didn’t feel any pressure,” said head coach Ana Santiago, mentor of UAAP champion Adamson.

Jocel Aguilar hit a double to score Esmeralda Tayag and Sarah Jane Agravante, and Sherilou Valenzuela blasted another hit to score Aguilar for a 3-0 count in the first frame.

Aguilar hit another RBI single to score Dione Maasu and another hit by Analie Tabiano Benjamen drove home Aguilar for 5-0 Philippine lead in the third inning.

Marlyn Francisco Calderon drove home the sixth run at the top of the sixth.

With victory in sight, Santiago fielded in her junior players – varsity standouts, Veronica Belleza (RTU), Elma Parohinog and Luzviminda dela Torre Ombudo of Adamson and Joy Parilla of UE – to finish the game.

The Blu Girls never encountered opposition as they also routed all other teams on their way to the finals. They blanked Singapore, 7-0, Indonesia, 7-0, and Malaysia 12-0.

In the page-system finals, the Philippines again shattered second ranked Indonesia, 5-1. Thailand and Singapore, the third and fourth placers, faced off for the right to meet Indonesia. Thailand took a 4-3 squeaker over Singapore and then repeated over Indonesia, 3-0, to face the Philippines in the title match.

Indonesia took the bronze with a 9-2 win over Singapore.

“This is a tournament where we are not expected to lose, we didn’t like to lose,” said Santiago.

The Philippines won all seven women’s softball titles during the years the event was held in the SEA Games – in 1977, 1979, 1981, 1997, 2005 and 2007.