Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

SPORTS

Blu Girls bat for World Cup honor

SOCIAL MEDIA

The distinguished Philippine Blu Girls are leaving no stone unturned in their preparation for the Softball World Cup set for 22 to 27 July in Italy.

“It’s going to be tough. We’re not going to win the World Cup but I think the team will do good and make the country proud,” said catcher Cheska Altomonte without mincing words.

The Amateur Softball Association of the Philippines secretary-general graced Tuesday’s Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum, and was joined by first-base Elsie dela Torre.

“Prepared naman kami at puspusan ang ensayo,” said Dela Torre ahead of the team’s departure for Italy on 16 July. It will be the Blu Girls’ seventh stint in the World Cup since 1970 when the country registered its best finish of third in Osaka, Japan.

The forthcoming stint won’t be easy as Altomonte said during the forum presented by San Miguel Corporation, Philippine Sports Commission, Milo, Philippine Olympic Committee, and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation.

In the 18-team World Cup, where the United States is the defending champion, the Blu Girls are bracketed with three-time champion Japan, Canada, Venezuela, New Zealand and host Italy. Their first game will be against the Canadians on 22 July.

“There are six teams in this World Cup that made it to the Tokyo Olympics and three of them are in our bracket (Japan, Canada and Italy),” Altomonte said.

“We’ve won against Japan and we’ve never played Italy. New Zealand we’ve won against them. And Venezuela is the most frustrating for us because we want to win it all. Canada we’ve won against in 2017,” she said.

“That’s why it has to be a perfect game,” said Altomonte, adding that she won’t be playing all matches to give the other catchers in the Blu Girls lineup the chance to compete against the best.

“Now, the majority of our players are homegrown because that’s part of the program aimed at elevating the level of play here. We have a lot of new players. But you can see them growing and getting better.”

The Blu Girls will try to make the most of their World Cup stint as they prepare for the Asian Games in Hangzhou in September, and hope for a podium finish.

“That’s why a podium finish is very realistic. I believe we can do it,” she said of the Blu Girls, whose best finish in the Asian Games was fourth in 2014 in Incheon and 2018 in Jakarta.

Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You May Also Like

SPORTS

SOCIAL MEDIAManny Pacquiao knows his time is up. This was the keen observation made by a longtime member of his training team who spent...

ESPORTS

SOCIAL MEDIAThe dynamic duo of Johnmar “OhMyV33nus” Villaluna and Danerie James “Wise” del Rosario is back with a bang after leading Blacklist International to...

SPORTS

SOCIAL MEDIAThe University Athletic Association of the Philippines will have a full calendar of sports events for Season 85 starting 1 October. UAAP President...

ESPORTS

SOCIAL MEDIAECHO has revealed its roster for the upcoming M4 Mobile Legends World Championship to be held 1-15 January 2023 in Jakarta, Indonesia. The...

SPORTS

SOCIAL MEDIAIt’s going to be business as usual as the Philippine Basketball Association will not stop its on-court activities when it gives way for...

SPORTS

SOCIAL MEDIAIt doesn’t look as if newly-crowned Melvin Jerusalem will get the luxury of defending his minimumweight crown against a handpicked rival after the...

SPORTS

Mitchell, meanwhile, is a six-foot shooting guard frowm Hartford University.

SPORTS

SOCIAL MEDIALegendary boxing referee Carlos ‘Sonny’ Padilla was recently inducted into the Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame. Famous for serving as the third man...

Copyright © DAILY TRIBUNE