Bago City received the Girls With Game Team Sportsmanship Award for “displaying sportsmanship both on and off the field throughout its time in Greenville.” CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Bago City, Negros Occidental recovered from suffering its first defeat hours earlier and edged out Milford, Connecticut, 1-0, on Sunday (Manila time) to reach the semifinals of the Little League Softball World Series in Greenville, North Carolina.
Jacey Patojal drove in the game’s only run in the bottom of the first inning before pitching a three-hit shutout as Bago City barged into the Final Four despite failing to make a single hit in a 2-0 loss to Delmar, Maryland earlier in the day.
The Asia-Pacific representatives arranged a rematch with Delmar, with the winner advancing to the championship game of the tournament for female softball players aged 10 to 12 years old.
They also equaled the semifinal appearance of Bago City’s Junior League squad, which eventually placed third in the competition held in Kirkland, Washington.
It will also be a chance for Bago City to erase the bitter pill of being a victim of a pitching masterpiece by Delmar hurler Macy Rickards and being relegated to the loser’s bracket.
Needing a win to avoid elimination, Bago City made a quick turnaround against Milford with Patojal leading the charge.
Patojal’s single off Sophia Vorjack with two outs in the opening frame scored Audrey Matarong, who earlier reached first on an error before moving to second on a passed ball.
The right-handed Patojal would dominate Milford through the contest, striking out 10 and walking none while throwing 74 pitches for Bago City.
Meanwhile, Bago City received the Girls With Game Team Sportsmanship Award for “displaying sportsmanship both on and off the field throughout its time in Greenville.”