The RP Blu Girls dominated Thailand in just four innings, 10-0, before bowing to world no. 3 Chinese Taipei, 5-0, for a 3-1 record in the 2023 Women Softball Asia Cup on Monday at the LNG Stadium in Incheon, South Korea.
The Blu Girls are still in the Top Four of the nine-team field.
Philippine pitchers Celyn Ojare, Ezra Jalandoni, and Glory Alonzo threw in an epic performance against the Thais for a combined no-hitter with Ojare taking the win.
With the Blu Girls ahead 6-0 entering the bottom of the fourth set, CJ Roa, Khrisha Cantor, and Elsie Dela Torre delivered the hits that scored four runs to activate the mercy rule.
Dela Torre produced three RBI while Cantor and Roa made two RBIs apiece as Thailand pitchers Yanisa Suwannaree and Jirarak Kako gave up six and four runs, respectively, with the former getting the loss.
In the afternoon match, Chinese Taipei was just too much for the Philippine national team, which shuffled three pitchers in the loss.
Jalandoni took the start for the Blu Girls, eventually giving up three runs in the second stanza highlighted by a Chia-Hui Ko long bomb to deep left center that also scored Ting-En Chiang.
Alonzo was then inserted to pitch and was doing well until the sixth inning with already one out when Szu-Shih Li hammered a two-run home run to left center field for the 5-0 margin.
Kikay Palma made the last two outs but the Philippines could not connect at the top of the seventh to absorb its first defeat.
Hsia-Ai Ke got the win in a no-relief effort, giving up just two hits, courtesy of Cantor and Vallestero, and a walk.
The tournament has a single round-robin format with the top four teams entering the semifinals. The podium finishers will get a ticket to the World Cup in July.
The Philippines will face Singapore tomorrow morning before meeting world no. 13 China in the afternoon.
