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By Eddie G. Alinea, Contributor
LIPA City of Batangas and Palayan City of Nueva
Ecija came up with lopsided victories on Tuesday and joined four
other teams into the next round in the centerpiece Major League
(11-12) boys baseball division play of the 2008 Little League
Philippine Series at the posh Alabang Country Club.
The Lipa Major Leaguers showed too much class in
disposing off General Trias of Cavite in an abbreviated, 12-2,
verdict for its fourth straight triumph to join Marikina City at the
top of the standing in the six-team Group C and into the two-group
Final 10 of the 29-team field.
The Palayan 11-12 sluggers, on the other hand,
had their erstwhile Group B co-leader Zamboanga City at the palm of
their hands with an equally murderous 16-0 blanking to assume solo
leadership in their bracket.
Lipa and Palayan, thus, advanced into the
two-group Final 10 of what started as a 29-team, six-group
elimination round in the division.
Besides, Marikina, Ilocos Norte and Tanauan City
of Batangas in Group A and defending champion International Little
League Association of Manila (ILLAM) in Group E have already made it
into the next round with their similarly clean 4-0 win-loss cards.
Pook Agoncillo of Batangas resumed its winning
ways, dumping Pasig City, 12-2, and tied Zamboanga in second place
in its group behind the streaking Palayan.
The top two teams from each group in the 11-12
age division will be divided into two brackets that will play
another round to decide which teams advance into the medal plays.
Team Manila, meanwhile, mauled last year’s Big
League (14-16) girls’ softball winner (ILLAM), 6-2, in a victory
that created a triple tie for first place in the four-team,
two-round level.
Bacolod City East shared the Big League top spot
with the Manila Golden Girls and ILLAM after surviving host
Muntinlupa City, 1-0, in a marathon three-hour duel that lasted for
nine innings. All three ended the first of two-round elimination
play toting similar 2-1 record each.
Sheena Mae Ventura’s single at the bottom of
the third extension drove home teammate Maria Aila Millano for the
game-clinching run after the two teams battled to a scoreless
deadlock for eight frames.
Millano boarded first on a freebee, stole second
then advanced to third on a fielder’s choice from where he scooted
home on that base-hit by Ventura.
Big League girl softball format calls for the
four-team cast to play one-round elimination to decide the two teams
that will dispute the championship. The no. 1 squad based on its
win-loss slate, enjoys a twice to beat advantage.
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