Blu Girls blank Thais, boost Asian Games medal bid

September 30 ------ The Philippines flattened regional foe Thailand, 7-0, to register its second straight win and keep its hopes of a historic medal in women's softball at the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya at the Anjo Softball Grounds in Aichi Prefecture, Japan.

Charlotte Sales delivered a home run for the second straight day while Mary Joy Laurente, MJ Alpitche and Sdyney Vitangcol took turns at the mound and held the Thais to just two hits and a run-less outing for the Blu Girls’ second win in a row. The Nationals outlasted the South Koreans, 7-3, the day before that ended a two-match slide following losses to powerhouse teams Japan, 0-10, and Chinese Taipei, 1-10, in the first two days.

Thanks to the result, the Blu Girls have barged into the magic four with a 2-2 mark with a chance at a medal. The top two after the round-robin elimination will take on each other for the gold medal while the third and fourth placers clash for the bronze. Amateur Softball Association of the Philippines (ASAPHIL) President and Cebuana Lhuillier President and CEO Jean Henri Lhuillier praised the team for building on the momentum of its breakthrough win over Korea. “The way our Blu Girls have responded over these last two games speaks volumes about their character. They have remained focused, continued to trust one another, and are showing the kind of fight we know they are capable of. We are proud of this team and will continue supporting them as they represent the Philippines with determination and heart,” Lhuillier said.

The Philippines tackles Singapore Wednesday, Sept. 30, dangerous China on Thursday, Oct. 1, and unpredictable Hong Kong on Friday, Oct. 2. The country’s best finish in the quadrennial meet in this discipline was fourth, which it did three straight times in 2014 in Incheon, 2018 in Jakarta and Palembang and 2022 in Hangzhou. There is high hope the medal drought ends in Japan.

Source: mb.com.ph