Illam, Tanauan boost Asia-Pacific Baseball title drive

MANILA—Home teams International Little League Association of Manila and Tanauan City trounced Guam and Indonesia, respectively, yesterday to stay on course in their drive for titles in the 2011 Asia Pacific Baseball Championships at the Rizal Memorial Baseball Field.

Leadoff batter Adriane Bernardo went 2-for-2 and scored four runs to spark Illam’s six hits en route to an 11-0 shutout victory over Guam and a 2-1 slate in the Big League.

Tanauan was even more imposing in a 12-0 blanking of Indonesia that also raised its record to 2-1 in the Senior League.

Smarting from its 2-6 loss to CNMI Saipan last Monday, Illam scored three runs right in the first inning with Bernardo accounting for the first run off a base on balls. Leandro Banzon and Vincent Ching then scored on a wild pitch and fielder’s choice to push the locals ahead, 3-0.

Tsuyoshi Horibata and Mark Ong pitched for a combined four innings and blanked the Guamanians before SJ San Juan gave up a hit to Cody Dowless on a two-out situation in the bottom fifth.

San Juan redeemed himself by striking out Ryan McIntosh as Illam improved on its 7-0 shutout of Guam Sunday.

“This is a big win for us going into our important game with CNMI,” said Illam coach Edgardo Delos Reyes.