Manila completes World Softball Series title sweep

By Randy Caluag

TEAM Manila Softball completed a sweep of the opposition with a 6-0 blanking of Glory Adkins Bejar (Denton, Texas) in the final to emerge champion of the Pony International Softball World Series in Texas.

The Manila softbelles blazed their way to the finals, holding their earlier foes scoreless with only American Thunder Gulf Coast (Houston) scoring a solitary point before losing, 4-1, at the McAllen Softball Complex. The rest came out empty-handed against the Manilans.

The Sheirylou Valenzuela-coached squad overpowered Nitro (Mexico), 4-0; Mustang SC (San Antonio, Texas), 7-0; STX Gladiatrix (Texas), 11-0; Texas Glory Adkins LT Wood (San Antonio) American Thunder Gulf Coast (Houston), 4-1; and Premier Fastpitch (California), 3-0. The Texas squad also came out undefeated in the earlier rounds, going into the finals, but it was still no match to Manila’s firepower, which revived the Philippines’ glory days in the prestigious tournament it ruled in 2017 and 2019.

Filipino expatriates, numbering close to a hundred, will be clad in colorful “Ati-Atihan” attire and do a street dance starting at 4 p.m. from Shed 6, a popular waterfront hangout in Wellington. From there, they will march towards the Sky Stadium in time for the kickoff of the Philippine-New Zealand match at 5:30 p.m. (1:30 p.m. in Manila).

The colorful costumes are part of the popular annual “Ati-Atihan” festival in Aklan, one the Philippines’ top tourist attractions.

“It’s a special moment. One that the girls will cherish for the rest of their lives,” said the Filipinas’ Australian coach Alen Stajcic.

The Filipinas are coming off a 0-2 setback to Switzerland, with the PH’s Katrina Guillou almost scoring a goal early in the first half last Friday.

On the other hand, the Ferns scored a shock 1-0 upset win over Norway in their opening Group A fixture.

“We’ll just shut this out (the cheering of the fans). It wil l be exciting, and hopefully, we’ll ge t a shot on target,” said Guillou.

The Ferns, coached by former Czech national team member, Jitka Klimková, are just a victory away from a place in the knock-out stages.

The odds favor New Zealand, no. 26 in the FIFA rankings.

Members of the Manila Softball Team display the Philippine flag. Team Manila Softball FB

It skipped the 2019 edition to give way to the country’s hosting of the 30th Southeast Asian Games before the world of sports stopped due to the Covid pandemic.

Team Manila is composed of Kylemarie Matarong, Annerose Macatbag, Rheamay

Quilongquilong, Anne Frensbelle Patricio, Rheamay Quilongquilong, Anne Frensbelle Patricio, Kenchie Tan, Jhaycel Roldan, Maryjane Libaton, Sathia Nicole Romero-Salas, Mary Jane Beronilla, Maryjoy Alpitche and Katherine Ditchon.