Manila softbelles thump North Carolina, enter WS semifinals

Asia Pacific titlist Manila South stamped its class on USA Southeast champ Morganton-North Carolina, 5-1, to roll into the semifinals of the Big League Softball World Series with a game to spare Wednesday at Layton Field in Lower Sussex County, Delaware (yesterday morning in Manila).

The Manileñas exploded with five runs in the second inning to seize control while Mary Ann Antolihao dished out another excellent showing on the mound as Manila picked up its second straight win in Pool A.

The Big City belles gun for top seeding in the group against USA Central-Indiana (1-1) Thursday (early today in Manila) in their last assignment in pool play.

“We are all happy because today’s victory was crucial and it was a must win situation for us to reach the semifinals. But we will still go for the win against Indiana,” said coach Anna Santiago.

Antolihao, a standout from University of Santo Tomas, extinguished eight of the batters she faced and issued a three-hitter in stellar seven-inning performance.

Manila made its move in the bottom second with Delyrose Covarruvias sparking the charge by blasting a hard ground ball to centerfield to score Florabelle Pabiana.

Kristen Marie Acuna followed it up with an extra-base hit to right field that sent Covarruvias and Edna Mae Severino for a 3-0 count. The Filipinas then pounced on back-to-back errors by Southeast pitcher Jordin Propst and catcher Micaela Queen to add two more runs to the cushion.

Queen averted a shutout loss as she slammed an RBI double in the fifth.

Manila softbelles, whose bid is backed by Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada, Vice Mayor Isko Moreno, Philippine Airlines, and International Container Terminal Services, Inc. (ICTSI), are determined to go all the way to the crown it won in 2012.

“If we keep our composure and limit our errors, we will surely have a big chance in the crossover semifinals and who knows then,” said Manila Little League Philippines president Rafael “Che” Borromeo.