Manila softbelles crush Moreno Valley, reach WS semis

MANILA, Philippines — Team Manila-Philippines recalled its fierce form and blasted Moreno Valley California anew, 12-0, to roll into the semifinal round of the PONY World Series 18-U Girls Softball Championships at the Diamond Valley Park inside the Valley-Wide Recreation District in Hemet, California Saturday.

Hurler Alma Tauli came out of a break with five strikeouts in two no-run innings and came through with a couple of fine defensive stops to power Team Manila to the semis for the second straight year while boosting their title retention drive.

Team Manila-Phl, which topped Group C, will take on Riverside County, which outlasted the Coachella Valley Chaos, Sunday for a spot in the finals.

West Zone Champion Central Hemet Xplosion and the San Bernardino Blake dispute the other championship berth.

“We’re happy with the win which was crucial to our semifinal bid and we’ll go all out against Riverside,” said head coach Anna Santiago.

Shortstop Angelu Gabriel keyed the onslaught with a run off a base hit by first baseman/pitcher Cleofe Magsayo, who likewise scored via a steal off a catching error, followed by a base hit by outfielder Alexandria Romero-Salas, who also had a run off a hit by centerfielder Khrisha Cantor.

Left fielder Jojielyn Lim followed suit off a single by catcher Aliza Pichon, capped by a stolen run by Gabriel off a second catching error to finish the bottom of the first inning with a commanding 7-0 lead.

The Big City softbelles then scored three more runs in the bottom second, led by Romero-Salas, pitcher Glory Alonzo and third baseman Madaelene Dumaog.

At the bottom of the third, the tandem of second baseman Mary Joy Maguad and Romero-Salas again scored two runs off an RBI by outfielder/first baseman Karen Chavez to complete a 12-0 win.