MANILA Youth, composed of a select crew of players from all over the country, trounced defending champion University of the Philippines, 6-3, while Polytechnic University of the Philippines rallied to edge Rizal Technological U, 8-7, in the opener of the Cebuana Lhuillier-ASAPHIL National Softball Intercollegiate Championships at the Sto. Niño Ballpark in Marikina City yesterday.
The Manila Youth batters came out of a scoreless first two innings with a four-run binge in the third with Christine Bautista scoring on a two-run homerun followed by RBIs from Krishia Cantor and Shaina Camacho.
Nichole Padasas sustained the guest team’s charge on top of the fourth, producing another two-run homer then Manila Youth withstood UP’s fightback, aided by a couple of pitching errors, with hurler Alma Tauli finishing off their rivals with superb throws.
“We just wrapped a softball tournament (Men’s 18-Under) and now we’re on to another. ASAPHIL is committed to discovering and developing more Filipino softball stars through a series of tournaments. This intercollegiate series promises a different level of competition so we can expect some outstanding matches among some of the country’s budding softball players,” said Amateur Softball Association of the Philippines and Cebuana Lhuillier president Jean Henri-Lhuillier.
The event, which drew five of the top universities in Metro Manila, including Adamson U, serves as part of the Manila Youth’s buildup for various international tournaments.
Earlier, PUP pulled through in a fierce duel with RTU, snaring the 8-7 win on a catching error in a big start to the weeklong competition organized and sanctioned by ASAPHIL.