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The Round of 16 featured the best softball team in the world. Moreover, the bracket the Philippines were penciled into featured world-ranked teams USA, China, and Australia.
The upstart Philippine Blu Girls, returning for the first time to the world stage after more than a decade, were overmatched by the opposition, succumbing to the top-ranked United States of America 11-0 in the fourth inning Friday morning in Surrey, Canada.
“Group of death yung sa amin dahil nandun yung Australia and US,” the team’s head of delegation Ismael Veloso told Tiebreaker Times prior to the game. “Even China and Cuba were avoiding our group.”
The Philippines had four hits spread across four innings. Dione Macasu, Cheska Altomonte, Garnet Blando, and Celestine Palma all connected on singles for the Philippine-side. The Blu Girls though had all five of its runners stranded on base.
It was a strong first inning for the Blu Girls. Second batter Chelsea Suitos was hit by a pitch to give the Blu Girls base with one out. After a flyout of Garnet Blando for second out, Ateneo Lady Eagle head coach Dione Macasu connected on a base hit to move Suitos to third base. Arianne Vallestero though was struckout swininging to end the upper half of the opening inning.
Ann Antolihao and the Philippine defense were able to hold the Americans at the bottom end of the opening inning but the potent American offense showed up in the second inning.
Amanda Chidester connected on a single to open the inning but the defense was able to knock off the next two batters. The Americans though went on a two-out rally, scoring four runs – majority coming from errors by the upstart Blu Girls. Amid the US rally, Antolihao was subbed out for former UAAP MVP Rizza Bernardino.
The Americans picked up five more runs in the third inning sparked by a huge two RBI triple by Haylie McCleney. The Blu Girls were not able to punch in a run at the top of the fourth inning resulting to the mercy rule loss.
“We have a long way to go but we’ll get there,” team captain Cheska Altomonte said about the future of the Blu Girls program.
The Philippines (0-3) will figure in the placement round starting Saturday, July 23 (Philippine time)
| Philippines | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Batter | P | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
| 30 | Gilmore, D | CF | 2 | .429 | |||||
| 13 | Suitos, C | 2B | 1 | .000 | |||||
| 10 | Blando, G | SS | 2 | 1 | .143 | ||||
| 21 | Macasu, D | DP | 2 | 1 | .286 | ||||
| 26 | Vallestero, A | 3B | 2 | 1 | .143 | ||||
| 19 | Ursabia, A | 1B | 2 | .143 | |||||
| 6 | Sabobo, Q | LF | 1 | 1 | .200 | ||||
| 22 | Â Â Palma, M | RF | 1 | 1 | .500 | ||||
| 8 | Altamonte, F | C | 2 | 1 | .167 | ||||
| 18 | Damasing, S | RF | 1 | 1 | .250 | ||||
| 16 | Â Â Piad, K | LF | .000 | ||||||
| 16 | 4 | 3 | |||||||
Pitching Stats
| Philippines | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Pitcher | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
| 7 |  Â Antolihao, M | 1.2 | 4 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 7.88 | |
| 38 | Bernardino, R | 1.1 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 21.01 | |
| 3 | 10 | 11 | 4 | 3 | 1 | |||
