NEW CLARK CITY — The finely manicured pitches inside the upscale The Villages is fast shaping up as stomping grounds for Team Philippines.
That’s where the “sure golds” of baseball and softball are being played in the 30th Southeast Asian Games.
The Blu Boys on Thursday scored a vengeful 8-0 abbreviated match win over Singapore for its third straight victory. As leaders in the preliminaries, they wait in the wings for the championship match.
Making it more meaningful was the fact Singapore upset the Philippines in last year’s World Championships which triggered the massive revamp in the Blu Boys.
The same thing with 9-time champion Blu Girls who are unbeaten in four games after blasting Thailand, 11-0. They previously defeated Singapore (6-0), Indonesia (11-1) and Malaysia (8-1).
“Me I’m confident we’ll get this,” said Blu Girls team manager Randy Dizer. “Even without us as coaches we’ll get this. That’s how confident we are.”
Dizer even feels comfortable leaving on Thursday — softball’s rest day — to attend his son’s wedding in Boracay.
“That’s my son’s wedding, so I have to fly to Boracay and then go back right away,” he added.
In nearby baseball pitch, the Philippines picked up its third win with a 17-0 victory over Singapore Wednesday. Like their counterparts in softball, the PH baseball is assured of a spot in the final.
All gold medal matches will be played on Sunday.