Tuesday, May 01, 2007 UP ladies softball team is back-to-back champ
THE University of the Philippines (UP) women's softball team wins back-to-back the championship titles of the ongoing 15-day annual national softball championships of the Amateur Softball Association of the Philippines (Asaphil).
A few weeks ago, UP won the national open championships and over the weekend, the ladies' also won the crown of the national collegiate open beating a very tough opposition from the University of Sto. Tomas (UST).
Pera Padala's and Le Soleil de Boracay's Jean Henri Lhuilllier, who spearheaded this annual softball event hailed the ladies from Diliman for their extra ordinary feat and for winning the two of the association's level/area tournaments.
"The victory of UP is also a victory for everyone who participated, because it showed how serious practice and strong determination can make a real difference in how we play, and winning in the process," Lhuillier said.
"We, the organizers are most happy because we are starting to see new potentials who would join the Blu Boys and the Blu Girls," Lhuillier added.
UP's Iya Dizzer, who has been playing at the Rosario Sports Arena and at the Sto. Niño Softball Field in Marikina summed up the elation they had when they won again, "last week's Softball Open Championship was a tough one when we met UAAP champs Adamson, and yet we won."
This week, we were expecting a re-match with Adamson for the Softball Collegiate Championships but it was UST who turned up, and they too were as fierce as Adamson," Dizzer added.
UST was first runner-up and Adamson was second runner-up of the collegiate championships.
Adamson's Cloiene Muyco was the Most Valuable Player for being the Best Slugger, Most Homerun and RBIs.
In the Men's Division, Rizal Technological University showed its mettle against the team from Bulacan State Univesrity and the Polytechnic University of the Philippines.
Melvin de Castro of RTU was named Most Valuable Player for being the Best Slugger and Most RBIs.
Other RTU players shined in the games with the likes of Jerome Bacarisas was named Best Hitter with an average of 0.750, Enan Azucenas for 2 Home Runs and Best Pitcher was Marlon Pagkaliwagan.
The 2007 national softball championships of Asaphil will hold the last of three tournaments for this year, the national youth softball championships will showcase the talents of lady softball players aged below 19.
Through the initiative of Jean Henri Lhuillier, this is the first time Asaphil opened a national tournament for softball players under the age of 19.
Ten teams are expected to play from May 1 to 5 at the Rosario Sports Arena - the teams for RTU, DLSU, UST, Adamson, Rizal, Woodrose, Ateneo, Makati, UP, Laguna and the University of Santo Tomas. (Press release)
