The Philippine men’s baseball team’s bid to reach the Super Round of the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games suffered a big blow after a 15-8 loss to China on Tuesday at Okazaki Chuo Sogo Park Baseball Stadium.
Starting pitcher Amiel de Guzman was roughed up for six runs in the second inning before the Philippines’ comeback attempt was thwarted after it surrendered five runs in the fifth, following run that cut the deficit to 7-3.
All the Philippines could do the rest of the way was avoid defeat via a 10-run mercy rule as it fell to 1-1 in Group A with a game to spare.
Its chances of advancing to the Super Round, where a medal will be at stake, now go through host and title contender Japan on Wednesday at Toyohashi Municipal Baseball Stadium.
China plays Palestine in the other game. Japan opened its campaign with an 11-3 rout of China.
A loss will relegate the Philippines to the Placement Round where the fifth to eighth places are going to be determined.
The top two teams in Group A will advance to the Super Round, joining their counterparts from Group B, composed of South Korea, Chinese-Taipei, Hong Kong and Thailand.
De Guzman’s troubles began in the second when Jie Cao drove home Xiao Han with a double with one out for the game’s first run. China loaded up the bases before walking Li Xiaoyang to score Chenchen Luan.
Lei Wang followed it up with a two-run single to make it 4-0, before coach Orlando Binarao pulled his southpaw hurler for reliever Francis Thomas Gonzaga. But Zhou Yi hit a triple down the right field line on the next at-bat that brought home two more runners.
The Philippines tried to make it interesting in the bottom of the fourth when it trimmed the gap to 7-3. Bong Liguayan, who starred in Monday’s 12-0 rout of Palestine with a two-run single in the first and a grandslam in the sixth, put his team on the board with a two-run double.
Liguayan drove in Mark Steven Manaig and Mark Beronilla before scoring on the next at-bat when Jimbo Matanguihan reached base on a throwing error.