INQUIRER Sports

JAKARTA, INDONESIA?Manila clinched the Big League softball title with a game to spare, while International Little League Association of Manila?s (ILLAM?s) Major League (11-12) squad and Muntinlupa?s Junior League (13-14) team reached the finals of their respective divisions for the first time Wednesday in the Asia Pacific Championships in different venues here.

Manila again flaunted its might in a 33-1 drubbing of Indonesia to wrest the title in dominant fashion.

To underscore their dominance, the Manila clouters of coaches Filomeno ?Boy? Codinera and Ana Santiago accumulated 114 runs in their first three games here.

ILLAM subdued Hong Kong, 4-3, to become the first Philippine team to reach the championship round in the tough 10-team tournament, the centerpiece event of the championships, in Surabaya City.

At the Senayang ballpark in downtown Jakarta, Justin Mihalik went 3-for-3 and drove in two runs as Muntinlupa pulled off a stunning 4-1 triumph over Hong Kong.

The Philippines, however, lost the only baseball crown it was seeking to defend here when Muntinlupa absorbed a 2-5 defeat to CNMI for its second loss in the Senior League (14-16) division.

Standing in the way of ILLAM and Muntinlupa in the finals are the multi-titled Chinese-Taipei squads.

ILLAM registered four runs in the fourth inning with Ignacio Escano hitting a single that scored Miguel Habana and Balagtas, who moved into scoring positions after belting base hits.

Marco Mallari advanced home on a passed ball, before Dan Laurel?s well-placed bunt allowed Escano to score.

In assuring themselves of their best finish here, the Muntinlupa batters also drew a solid performance from pitcher Carlos Manzano, who allowed only five hits while striking out six batters in five innings.