Blu Girls wallop Singapore, boost World Cup group stage bid

July 18 ------ The Philippine Blu Girls remained in contention for one of the three coveted spots in the World Cup group stage after dismantling Southeast Asian rival Singapore, 13-0, in the Women’s Softball Asia Cup, in Xi’an, China.

The Blu Girls exploded with eight runs in the first inning to set the tone early, while the Singaporeans failed to respond in the next three, leading to another dominant win for the Filipinas. It was the Nationals’ fifth win in six outings to propel to solo third behind powerhouse squads Japan and China, who remained unscathed in six matches.

The win also came a day after the Blu Girls blanked Malaysia, 14-0, the other day. The Nationals are battling China at press time as they continue to boost their chances for a spot in next year’s World Cup group stage. To achieve that, it would need to finish in the top two after the round-robin elimination stage to automatically advance, or, end up in the top four where it would have one more match to claim the third and last spot there.

Amateur Softball Association of the Philippines (ASAPHIL) President Jean Henri Lhuillier is confident of the squad, especially after already clinching a ticket to the 20th Asian Games in Japan slated next year. “Our momentum is building and the girls are more cohesive with every inning. (Our latest) win shows how they’re translating that confidence into results," Lhuillier said.

Source: mb.com.ph