Things are expected to get tougher for the Philippines the rest of the way after completing a sweep of Group B and entering the Super Round of the East Asia Baseball Cup with another lopsided win on Wednesday in Clark, Pampanga.
The Filipino batters crushed Singapore, 15-0, at The Villages to finish on top of Group B with a 2-0 record and go to the next phase of the competition with momentum against Hong Kong and Thailand, teams seen as their biggest threats.
Hong Kong and Thailand are likewise 2-0 in Group A to assure themselves of spots in the Super Round.
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Offensive onslaught
Under tournament rules, teams will face those outside of the group in the Super Round, where they’ll contest the two spots in the championship game.
The Super Round is set for Friday and Saturday, with the final slated for Sunday.
Coach Vince Sagisi once again saw another offensive onslaught by the hosts, scoring two runs in the first when Lord de Vera capitalized on a fielding error to reach home and Kyle Soberano touching the plate on a double steal.
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Clarence Caasalan had an RBI single in the third before the Filipinos hiked their lead with six runs each in the fourth and fifth innings before the game ended abruptly because of a mercy rule.
A game is called after five innings if a team is ahead by 15 runs.
JD Diarao capitalized on the huge run support and allowed just one hit in four innings for the Philippines.
John Vargas also delivered the Philippines’ first home run of the tournament with a solo shot during the fifth-inning scoring binge.
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