By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
The Philippine Blu Girls put up a spirited challenge against defending champion and world No. 1 Japan, but their best was not good enough, absorbing a 4-0 defeat in the WBSC Women’s Softball World Cup Group Stage in Lima, Peru on Thursday, July 16 (Philippine time).
Pitchers Saku Miwa and Mio Sakamoto took turns in stifling the Filipina batters, allowing them just one hit as Japan cruised to a shutout win.
In contrast, the Japanese bombarded Blu Girls’ starting pitcher April Mae Minanga with five hits that resulted in four runs, including a two-run double to right-center field from Saori Yamauchi in the bottom of the first inning.
The other two runs came in the second as Hotaru Tsukamoto scored on Ayana Nakagawa’s double to left center, and Kyoko Ishikawa drove in another run with a single to center.
Mary Joy Alpitche relieved Minanga in the second and did well by allowing the Japanese just three hits in more than five innings. But by then, the damage had been done.
It was the Blu Girls’ second straight loss after an 8-4 defeat to world No. 16 Venezuela the other day.
