Manila, Iloilo earn WS softball berths, rule ASPAC regionals

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippines sent two more teams to the softball world series as Junior League representative Iloilo and Big League bet Manila South swamped their respective rivals to cop the Asia Pacific and Middle East crowns at the Clark Parade Grounds yesterday.

Bannered by the core of the team that placed fourth in the JLS world meet last year, Iloilo overpowered Indonesia, 17-0, to sweep their race-to-three duel for the Aspac diadem.

The Manila South softbelles, the 2012 Big League world titlists, completed their dominance of rival Guam with 11-1 win to secure another WS appearance.

The trio joined Iloilo, which secured a WS berth by sweeping Australia for the LLS regional diadem last Tuesday.

Handled by Angelyn Debulgado, the Iloilo Junior Leaguers unleashed seven runs in the first inning to rip the game apart and finish off the overmatched Indons after four.

Iloilo will represent Aspac in the JLS World Series in Kirkland, Washington on Aug. 10-16, looking to improve on its semis stint last time.

Manila South will try to redeem itself from its failure to defend the crown in 2013 when it returns to the BLS WS in Lower Sussex, Delaware on Aug. 3-9.

GK Smokey Mountain, a team composed of kids of scavengers at the dumpsite in Tondo, blanked Guam, 11-0, to go up, 2-1, in their own best-of-five series.

Tricia Tioson and Mary Grace Manalon drove in the marginal runs in the second and fourth innings that lay the foundation for the win, that moved them closer to a first world series stint.

Host Phl suffered losses over in baseball.

Senior League bet International Little League Association of Manila (ILLAM) absorbed a sorry 3-4 setback to Guam that stymied their drive for a finals berth.

ILLAM was up, 3-0, before Javin Delgado slammed a grandslam home run at the bottom of the sixth that gave the Guamaians the momentum they needed.

Guam improved to 3-1 while Phl-ILLAM dropped to 2-2.

ILLAM’s Junior Leaguers also stumbled, losing to Marianas, 1-7, for a 1-1 card in Pool A.