Courtesy: PABA
NAGOYA, Japan – The Philippines fell short of sustaining the fire it showed against Palestine, as the Dreamers suffered an 8-15 defeat at the hands of mighty China on Tuesday at the Okazaki Chuo Sogo Park Baseball Stadium in Aichi.
Hataw Pilipinas gave up seven runs by the top of the fourth inning before getting on the board with three runs in the bottom of the frame to remain within striking distance, 7–3.
However, the Chinese batters replied with a five-run outburst in the fifth inning, extending their lead to 12-4 heading into the sixth, where they scored three more runs.
The Philippines held China scoreless in the final three innings, but the Filipinos’ two-run charge in the eighth inning came up short of reversing the result.
Philippine Amateur Baseball Association secretary-general Mike Asuncion admitted that the Chinese team got the better of the Dreamers.
“They played a better game. We had costly errors. And they were able to protect their lead,” he said.
Despite the loss, Asuncion sees clear team growth and urges further investment in the country’s grassroots baseball program.
“I didn’t see a big gap skills wise,” he said. “But definitely, we need a faster development of our program. There’s no overnight upgrade. We work from the ground up. The more kids playing, the more talent we harvest.”
The Philippines fell to a 1-1 record in Group A and will need to pull off an upset against unbeaten host Japan on Wednesday.
The Philippines must also hope for a favorable result in the match between China (1-1) and Palestine (0-2) to boost its chances of advancing to the Super Round.
Japan tops the group after walloping China, 11-3, and Palestine, 15-0.
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