THE Philippines beat Hong Kong, 7-0, in five innings on Wednesday to clinch a bronze medal in the Men’s Softball Asia Cup 2023 in Kochi, Japan.
The PH Blu Boys’ third place finish also enabled the team to book the final seat for Asia in the 2024 Men’s Softball World Cup.
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Juliuz Dela Cruz pitched a one-hit, complete game, striking out nine batters to lead the Blu Boys to the victory.
The Nationals pelted six runs in the third inning that began with a two-run double by John Lucas. Kenneth Torres, Michael Pagkaliwagan, and John Antonio also had run-scoring hits, with Pagkaliwagan also reaching home on a stolen base in the inning.
The Philippines finished the classification phase with a 3-2 win-loss record. The Blu Boys opened the tournament with victories over India, 5-1, and Chinese Taipei, 7-1, but lost to Singapore, 9-5, and Japan, 6-0 in the next two matches.
The Blu Boys beat Hong Kong, 8-0, on Tuesday before their bronze medal game.
The team duplicated the achievement of the Blu Girls, who also booked a spot in the worlds with their fourth-place finish in the Asia Cup.
Amateur Softball Association of the Philippines president Jean Henri Lhuillier congratulated the team for their achievement.
“Keep igniting the field with your passion, inspiring the nation, and making history,” said Lhuillier.
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