The Blu Girls had already endured two painful reminders that Asian Games softball offers little room for sentiment. After a 0-10 loss to Japan and a 1-10 defeat to Taipei, the Philippines needed something more than consolation.
It got a comeback instead.
Trailing South Korea, 3-0, and just three outs from defeat, the Blu Girls erupted for seven runs to stun the Koreans, 7-3, keeping their hopes of reaching the semifinals alive.
South Korea had looked firmly in control, scoring all three of its runs in the fourth inning, including Kim Ahyoung’s two-run homer. The Philippines had managed only three hits through five innings and appeared headed for another frustrating afternoon.
Then the bats finally found their manners.
The Philippines scored twice to cut the deficit to 3-2 before Mary Charlotte Sales, the Blu Girls’ third baseman and team captain, delivered the big blow. With two runners aboard, Sales launched a three-run homer over the fence, turning a one-run deficit into a 5-3 lead that set up the game’s decisive seven-run burst.
It was not merely a comeback. It was a badly needed change in temperature.
The Philippines finished with 10 hits to South Korea’s eight and played error-free softball, providing a welcome counterpoint to the rough opening results.
The victory also offers a measure of redemption after the losses to Japan and Taipei, but the job is far from finished. The tournament’s top four teams advance to the semifinals, leaving the Blu Girls with a live path deeper into the competition.
They will still face Thailand, Singapore, China, and Hong Kong through Oct. 2, with each game carrying its own arithmetic and pressure.
South Korea may have been three outs from victory.
Instead, the Blu Girls turned the game around, kept their campaign breathing, and reminded everyone that softball has a peculiar relationship with certainty.
Sometimes the scoreboard looks settled right up until it isn’t.
