Alma Tauli and Kianna Juan combined for three hits as host Philippines crushed Malaysia, 11-1, even as defending champion Chinese Taipei notched its third straight shutout win with a 12-0 rout of Thailand in the 2018 Asian Junior Women’s Softball Championship at the Clark International Sports Complex in Pampanga.
Tauli pitched a no-hit, two strikeouts in two innings before turning the job to Juan, who closed out with one run and one hit in a two-inning relief job as the Blu Girls reasserted their supremacy over the Malaysians in scorching heat in a game reduced to four innings due to the 10-run rule.
“I have so much faith in our young players, and I know that they have the skills and the determination to deliver. Same goes to the other teams. I’ve seen how hard they work on the field to notch wins for their respective countries in spite of the searing heat here in Clark,” said Jean Henri Lhuillier, president of the Amateur Softball Association of the Philippines (ASAPHIL).
Japan, champion in 1997, 2004, and 2009, posted its third consecutive win with a 10-3 victory over China while Korea dealt India its second straight defeat via a 10-0 rout.