Team Manila 2nd place world softball
By Eddie Alinea
PhilBoxing.com
Thu, 11 Aug 2011
Championship pressure took its toll on Team Manila which lost to Grand Rapids of Michigan, 9-2, in the gold medal play of the Big League ((16-18) Girls Softball World Series finals Wednesday (Thursday in Manila) at the Wilson Field of Vanderbilt Park in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
Five errors came in stinging fashion dashing whatever hopes there were for the Manilenyas to reverse the outcome of what started as a close matchup that but turned into a rout.
A run right at the bottom of the opening frame started the ball rolling for the Grand Rapids, but the Manilenyas countered at the top of the next period when losing pitcher Rizza looked on the way to winning her own game by clouting a solo home run off Morgan Groom, serving notice, too, that everything was well with Team Manila.
The atmosphere of the contest suddenly turned sour barely an inning later for the Filipinas though after Sierra Mutschier sacrificed Sadie Stowell home and herself crossing the plate on a fielding miscue allowing the hosts to grab the upperhand, 2-1, in their side of the same period.
Another error by leftfielder Chichiro Bamba keying off the fourth with one out boarded Danielle Freeman who scored on another misplay by centerfielder Joy Parilla that saw the roared ahead by two runs, 4-1.
Still manageable though had Groom not muzzled all the Manilenyas, runners up here also in 2008 and last year, in the next two innings. The roof finally caved in on coach Randy Dizer?s girls in the sixth where the hosts put the outcome beyond doubt with a five-run salvo assisted by two more Team Manila errors.
The Filipinas? last marker came in the lower half of the final frame when Bernardino closed in her championship stint with a single. Laura Lehman, who replaced her as a pinch runner, finalized the tally by scoring the last run on a sacrifice fly to left by Bamba.
Bernardino from Sta. Cruz in Laguna, like Groom played without relief, yielding 10 hits that produced 9 runs. She struck out 12 Michigan batters, five more than Groom?s seven.
?Runner up na naman, hindi na yata magiging best in the world. Palagi na lang second best,? assistant coach Ana Santiago, the architect of Team Manila 2008 and 2009 silver medal finishes as head mentor, rued over the phone in an interview with Malaya Business Insight.
?Daming error at crucial pa. Noong mga unang game naman ay hindi nangyari yun. Grabe nerbyos ng mga bata hindi nakayanan,? she blurted out. ?Mabuti silver medal na nang mangyari. Kung hindi baka umuwi kami ng luhaan.?
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