Blu Boys wind up 10th after blanking South Africa

It was another solid performance on the mound for Leo Barredo. —PHOTO COURTESY OF WBSC

The Philippine Blu Boys concluded their campaign in the Men’s Softball World Cup on a high note with a 4-0 win over South Africa on Saturday at Rosedale Park in Auckland, New Zealand.

An inside-the-park homer by Justine Rosales broke the ice in the fourth inning even as Leo Barredo had another strong performance on the mound to give the Blu Boys another victory at the close of the placement round.

In ending the tournament with back-to-back wins that included an 8-0 thumping of Denmark the other day, the Blu Boys placed 10th out of 12 nations.

The Philippines lost all five games in the opening round against fellow Group A squads United States, defending champion Argentina, Cuba, host New Zealand and the Czech Republic before bowing to Japan at the beginning of the placement round.

Rosales’ hit to right field off South African hurler Grant Olivier with one out in the fourth put the Philippines in front.

The Blu Boys padded the lead to 2-0 in the next inning when Mark Gaspi scored after Julius Diaz reached base on a fielding error.

Both runs provided support for Barredo, who ended up striking out 14 batters while allowing just two hits in a complete-game effort.

—Jonas Terrado