The Philippine Blu Girls saw their three-game winning streak snapped by unbeaten China with a 7-0 defeat in five innings on Thursday in women’s softball of the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.
The Blu Girls could only produce two hits even as the Chinese bats went on a tear, capping things off with a four-run fifth that forced a quick end to the contest held at Anjo Softball Ground.
With the loss, the Blu Girls dropped to a 3-3 win-loss slate to share fourth spot with South Korea going into the final day of the preliminary round.
They finish the preliminaries against Hong Kong, hoping to secure their place in Saturday’s bronze-medal match.
Pitchers Glory Alonzo, Sydney Vitangcol and Royevel Palma were rocked by China’s eight hits in the game that ended after five because of a seven-run mercy rule.
China got on the board in the bottom half of the second when Kailin Xi scored from third after Mengrun Wang grounded out.
Min Reng made it 3-0 for the Chinese in the third, drilling a two-run homer past the right-center fence off Alonzo.
Jiaxin Xie gave China its second home run of the game, a three-run shot in the fifth off Vitangcol. Palma came in relief and walked the first two batters she faced before she hit Yujuan Sang with the bases-loaded that allowed another run and the abbreviated win for China.