THE PHL Blu Girls continue to give their all double-headers in Day 3 and 4 in the USA Softball International Cup in Columbus, Georgia, USA. Unfortunately, the team fell short in all four games.
The Cebuana Lhuillier-backed Blu Girls bowed to local team Scrap Yard Fast Pitch, 3-1, - 3 and then lost to Mexico, 3-2, later in the day in their fourth and fifth games, respectively.
Scrap Yard Fast Pitch took an early lead with a single in the first inning and never looked back. The Philippines tried to catch up but could only muster one run in ix hits and did not commit a single error. Riflayca Basa took the loss for the Philippines, allowing six hits and three runs in three innings.
Against Mexico, the Blu Girls watched the game slip away early and could not recover. The pitching was strong on both sides but Mexico struck out 10, while the Philippines was only able to sit down one. Isabella Dino took the loss for the Philippines in four innings, allowing four hits and three runs while walking one. Chelsea Suitos hit a home run for the Blu Girls in the sixth inning.
A day later, the RP Blu Girls absorbed back-to-back losses to Japan, 12-2, and Puerto Rico, 2-1.
“Japan is the Asian champion. I cannot expect for us, at this time, to beat them but I would want to see closer games against them in the future,” the team’s backer Jean Henri Lhuillier said.
While the Japan game was a one-sided affair, the Puerto Rico match was a tight one that ended in dramatic fashion.
“We could have won against Puerto Rico but the breaks of the game did not go our way. This experience will be very instrumental to the team’s continued improvement. Like I said, we came here to help prepare the Blu Girls for the 2020 Olympics where we qualified earlier,’’ Lhuillier said. (PR)