THE COUNTRY’S World Cup euphoria in football goes to softball as the Philippine Blu Girls pulled off a pair of shock victories over fancied New Zealand and Italy in WBSC’s Group C matches in Castions di Strada, Italy, Tuesday.
Almost given up for dead after dropping their first three assignments, the valiant soft belles from a tiny archipelagic nation clung to hope and prayed for a miracle that was answered as they slew the Kiwis, 5-3, and later the heavily favored host Italians, 6-5, that sealed them the fourth and last spot to the playoff round.
There, the Cebuana Lhuillier-backed Nationals were clashing the Italians, who wound up at No. 3 with a 3-2 card in the group, in a rematch at press time with the winner taking on the loser between the Japanese and the Canadians, who topped the bracket with identical 4-1 slates.
The top two teams after the playoffs will book a ticket to the World Cup finals next year also in Italy.
Interestingly, the glorious performance happened on the same day the Filipinas’ shocked the world with a historic 1-0 World Cup win over New Zealand in Wellington.
“No matter the odds against the stronger squads of Canada, Japan and Venezuela, the infallible spirit of the team was unbreakable. They came back, showed immense resilience and we could not be any prouder,” said Amateur Softball Association of the Philippines President Jean Henri Lhuillier.
While the win over New Zealand was impressive, the triumph over Italy was miraculous as the Philippines dug deep in erasing a 5-4 deficit and snatching the win that was sealed by two runs scored in the bottom of the seventh and final inning courtesy of Angelu Gabriel via fielder’s choice and Nicole Hammoude from a fielding error by the Italians.
With the game tied at 1-1 and postponed due to thunderstorms after four innings, the Blu Girls fell into a 4-1 hole following a two-run double by Barbara McKenzie’s one-run single by Andrea Filler atop the fifth inning.
Ms. Hammoude then batted in two runs with a mighty hit to center field and then Alaiza Talisik singled to center that sent the former safely home at the bottom of the same inning that tied the score, this time at 4-4.
Then Giulia Koutsoyanopoulos scored a run off a sacrificial fly ball by Erika Piancastelli as Italy regained the lead, 5-4, in the top of sixth.
Showing courage under fire, the Blu Girls proved more resilient as they rallied back by coming through with a seventh inning to remember in completing their rise from the grave. — Joel Villar
