MANILA — The Philippine Blu Boys stamped their return to the top of Southeast Asian men’s softball with a dominant pitching display, shutting out Singapore, 3-0, to reclaim the gold medal at the SEA Games final at Queen Sirikit Baseball Stadium in Pathum Thani, Thailand.
Left-handed ace Jehanz Maristela Coro delivered a masterclass on the mound, striking out 17 batters in a two-hit shutout as the Filipinos avenged their gold-medal loss to Singapore in the 2019 SEA Games held in Clark, Pampanga.
Early and timely hitting backed Coro’s gem, with Justine Rosales blasting a solo home run in the top of the first inning before Lyonas de Leon broke the game open with a two-run single in the fourth.
The victory marked the Philippines’ ninth overall gold medal in men’s softball, underscoring the Blu Boys’ continued dominance in the region.
The Filipinos entered the final after posting a 2-1 record in the preliminary round, cruising past Malaysia, 11-1, and Thailand, 12-0, both via four-inning mercy-rule victories. Their lone setback came against Singapore, 7-3, on the eve of the final, when the Blu Boys surrendered six runs in the fifth inning to waste a 3-1 lead.
Softball games are played over seven innings but can be ended early if a team leads by 11 runs after three innings or by seven after five.
Meanwhile, the Philippine under-22 football team narrowly missed a podium finish after bowing to Malaysia, 2-1, in the battle for third place at Rajamangala Stadium.
The loss relegated the Filipinos to fourth place, equaling their best SEA Games finish last achieved in the 1991 Manila edition.
Malaysia struck first in the 28th minute when Salahudin Hakimi capitalized on a scramble in front of the Philippine goal. The Filipinos drew level eight minutes later after Rosli Hazim headed Antoine Ortega’s long throw-in into his own net.
The stalemate, however, lasted only seven minutes as Rozli Azim found space on the break and slipped the winning goal past Philippine goalkeeper Nicholas Guimaraes to seal Malaysia’s podium finish./PN
