MANILA, Philippines - Host Philippines absorbed a heartbreaking 9-10 setback in extra inning to Hong Kong in a tightly-fought semifinal encounter to bomb out of contention in the centerpiece event of the Little League Asia-Pacific and Middle East Regional Tournament yesterday at the Clark Parade Grounds.
Represented by Tanauan City, the Pinoy Little Leaguers surrendered a costly run to Hong Kong’s Yoki Tomayama off a wild pitch in the seventh frame to kiss their bid goodbye in the premier 11-12 division.
The Tanauan batters appeared headed to the gold medal match when they took an 8-6 lead on a two-run home run by Reden Tapia at the top of the six. However, the Hong Kong batters got two runs against a weary Phl starter Jewel Dimapilis to forge an extension.
Hong Kong eventually pounced on the crucial error by reliever Tapia to score the game-winner and advance against Korea, which nosed out holders Chinese-Taipei, 9-2, in the other side of the Last-4.
The host nation also suffered setbacks in the juniors and big league competitions but consoled itself with a semifinal win in the minor league “friendship games.”
Junior League representative International Little League Association of Manila (ILLAM) bowed to Hong Kong, 2-12, its fall hastened by the seven runs it gave up in the fifth stanza.
Big league bet Marikina found itself bombarded with 22 runs by powerhouse Chinese-Taipei and formally conceded after three innings for a final score of 0-7. The Taiwanese completed a six-game sweep of the 15-18 year-old hostilities to win the Aspac crown and a berth to the Big League Baseball World Series slated July 23-30 in Easley, South Carolina.
Phl sent team in the finals of the minors as Tanauan defeated fellow home squad ILLAM, 5-2, to set up a duel with Japan, 10-1 victor over Muntinlupa in the other semis pairing.
A “friendly competition” in the 11-12 age bracket, Minor League Baseball does not offer a ticket to the World Series.
In the intermediate 50/70 division, titlist Japan escaped with a 9-8 squeaker over upset-conscious Indonesia to set a championship showdown with South Korea, which advanced via a 10-0 shutout of Thailand.