NCR, Western Visayas batters bag gold medals

THE National Capital Region (NCR) and Western Visayas closed out the 2024 Palarong Pambansa baseball competition with hairline victories at the Filinvest diamonds on Tuesday, July 16, 2024.

Defending champion NCR retained the secondary boys title by beating Southern Tagalog Calabarzon, 1-0, while Western Visayas escaped with a 5-4 win over Calabarzon's elementary baseball team for the gold medal.

"It was really a cardiac (game for us) because we were in first place. From the first to the third inning, we really struggled. This Calabarzon team was really tough to beat. Maybe luck was just on our side," said NCR coach Ricardo Jimenez after the game.

Mimaropa defeated Eastern Visayas, 4-2, to bag the secondary boys bronze medal.

In the elementary championship match, Western Visayas had a hard time chasing after Calabarzon and eventually bagged the title.

"It was really exciting. I can't explain it since it's the first time that Western Visayas has claimed the championship baseball," said Iloilo coach Art Ansino.

"We just really needed to defend our bases so that our opponent can't score. We, ourselves have felt the intensity of the game, yet, the important thing to keep in mind is to win," he added.

The Calabarzon Heroes, who were the champions last year in Marikina, settled for the silver medal.

Eastern Visayas also emerged triumphant against Central Luzon, 5-4, in the battle for third place. (Andrea Gayle Acas and Rudy Mart Aruelo)