Taiwanese overwhelm PH batters

TAIWAN—The Philippine baseball team remained upbeat despite getting a 16-0 drubbing at the hands of world No. 8 Chinese-Taipei on Friday in the ongoing World Baseball Classic qualifier here.

Filipino pitcher Darwin Dela Calzada said they can still give the home team a good fight if ever they get to play them again today.

“Our pitchers did well. Our infielders and outfielders were probably surprised with our opponents’ hits,” said De La Calzada. “We just need to adjust our defense. Winning against them will be tough but giving them a good challenge is possible.”

Yi-Chuan Lin,  the 27-year-old member of Taiwan’s professional team Sinon Bulls, led his country’s attack as he drove in five runs on two doubles.

The Philippines and New Zealand were scheduled to meet yesterday for the right to challenge Chinese-Taipei in the finals.

A steady downpour prevented the game from being played and a double-header may be played on Sunday if the Xinzhuang Baseball field remains soaked the whole of Saturday.

De La Calzada said what makes him feel good about their campaign is that their foreign-based players and local stars have bonded well despite being together for only a week.  Story contributed by Marty Esmendi