MANILA – Despite fighting with pride and determination, the Asia-Pacific softbelles, represented by the Bago Softball Team, finished fourth overall in the Senior League World Softball Series after suffering back-to-back defeats in the semifinals and bronze medal match.
The Bago squad faced Hawaii in the battle for third where they fell short in a tough 6-11 loss, ending their campaign just outside the podium among 10 international teams.
Prior to that, the team delivered an impressive performance in the quarterfinals by defeating Georgia, 6-3, behind the stellar showing of pitcher Erica Arnaiz, who struck out 13 batters to lead the Bago softbelles into the semifinals.
However, they were overpowered by Michigan, USA, in the semifinal round, falling 3-13 in a game that dashed their hopes of reaching the championship match.
Michigan would go on to dominate the tournament and clinch the Senior League World Softball Series title with a resounding 10-0 win over host team Delaware.
Despite narrowly missing out on a medal, the Bago City softbelles earned praise and recognition, bringing home the Sportsmanship Award given by the tournament organizers in Delaware, USA.
Meanwhile, in the Junior League World Softball Series held in Kirkland, Washington, another group of Asia-Pacific representatives—this time from Bacolod City, Negros Occidental—also ended their campaign with heads held high.
After a close fight against the top-seeded Central Region team, Bacolod, seeded fourth in Pool B, was edged out in a 5-4 heartbreaker, eliminating them from the single-elimination tournament format.
Prior to the loss, the Bacolodnon softbelles had notched a solid 6-3 victory over Palo Cedro, California (West), with a standout pitching performance securing their spot in the knockout round.
Though both teams from Negros Occidental fell short of the finals, their strong performances on the international stage showed the depth of talent in Philippine youth softball./PN
