The Blu Girls apparently decided that one comeback was not enough.
A day after escaping South Korea with a seven-run eruption, the Philippines softball team returned to the diamond Tuesday and produced another kind of statement, beating Thailand, 7-0, in a game stopped by the mercy rule after five innings.
The victory moved the Philippines to 2-2 in the eight-team, single-round-robin Asian Games tournament, keeping its semifinal bid alive. Only the top four advance, and with three games still to play, the Philippines remains firmly in the mix but has little room for another slip.
Against Thailand, the Blu Girls needed no late drama.
They collected eight hits, including three doubles and third baseman and team captain Mary Charlotte Sales’ two-run homer in the third inning, while holding Thailand to just two hits. Shortstop Francesca Altomonte contributed two hits and two RBIs, while Nicole Adra Hammoude and center fielder Ma. Antonette Gabriel each scored and drove in a run.
The pitching changes came and went, but the result remained stubbornly one-sided.
Thailand, which managed only two hits and committed two errors, never found enough offense to make the game competitive. Once the Philippines built a seven-run advantage after five innings, the mercy rule did what mercy rules are designed to do. It ended the afternoon before anyone could pretend the outcome was still in doubt.
The rule allows games to end early when the margin reaches 15 runs after three innings, 10 after four, or seven after five or six.
For the Blu Girls, there was no need to test the full menu.
The win was less theatrical than Monday’s comeback against South Korea, but perhaps more useful. After heavy defeats to Japan and Chinese Taipei, the Philippines has now strung together two victories. But the semifinal chase is far from settled.
The Blu Girls next face Singapore on Wednesday, followed by China on Thursday and Hong Kong on Friday. Those three games will determine whether the Philippines can turn its comeback into a semifinal ticket.
Sometimes momentum does not arrive with fireworks.
Sometimes it simply shows up, scores seven runs, and goes home early.
