Tanauan turns back ILLAM, tops Li’l League

TANAUAN CITY, Batangas, Philippines  â€“ For a moment, it looked like Tanaueñoes were in for another heartbreaking championship game in the Little League Philippines Series 2013.

But Tanauan City’s Junior League Baseball team delivered in the end and eked out a thrilling 11-10 victory over ILLAM yesterday to cop the 13-14 division plum and make up for the heartbreaking loss of their fancied Big League squad a day earlier.

The Tanauan Juniors seized an 11-5 cushion and survived the ILLAM’s furious seventh-inning rally with key defensive plays to seal the conquest to the delight of supporters who trooped to the same diamond in Barangay Sala, where the favored Big Leaguers previously got clobbered by Muntinlupa, 2-12.

“It was a tough win, they (ILLAM) really gave us a hard time,” coach Oca Natanauan, whose wards also got back at their tormentors in last year’s finale. 

“Our batting helped us significantly today,” he said.

Tanauan bombarded ILLAM’s pitchers with 14 hits, doing the most damage in the third inning where they had six hits and everyone in their batting lineup reached home, en route to a six-run advantage.

ILLAM sliced it to 11-6 in the bottom sixth and cranked it all up in the seven, where they unloaded four runs to threaten at 11-10. 

But a crucial double play – a fly ball to centerfield easily caught by John Lexter Carandang and his succeeding pinpoint throw to catcher Steven Manaig for the tag out at home – stymied ILLAM’s rally. An unassisted play at third base with bases loaded eventually secured it for Tanauan.

“I told them to just try to get the outs even if they (ILLAM) were scoring,” said Natanauan.

ILLAM aimed to make it two-for-two following its earlier conquest in Senior League Baseball (15-16 division).

Bannered by the core that ruled the Juniors last year, ILLAM annexed the Seniors diadem via a 17-6 rout of Marikina Monday afternoon. 

“Pitching and hitting keyed our victory,” said ILLAM coach Arsenic Laurel, who had at his disposal 11 pitchers who can all hit. “We’re deeper this year and if we keep up our hitting, I think we have a chance to win the (Asia Pacific) Regionals and go to the World Series.”

Sta. Cruz, Laguna captured the Seniors softball tiara via a 4-3 Houdini act over a GK Smokey Mountain, which despite the loss, achieved its best-ever finish in the Phl Series.

Mercinelle Arroyo and Gayzel Dilay pounced on a costly error by Smokey Mountain in the sixth inning to put in the game-winning runs and complete their ascension to the throne after finishing only third in 2012.