GENERAL SANTOS CITY -- Team Soccsksargen (Sox) or Region 12’s little leaguers hurdled the first test of its comeback bid for the Palarong Pambansa baseball championship with a convincing 8-3 win over Western Visayas on Sunday.
The team rebounded from a sluggish start to notch its first victory at diamond one of the motorpool area grounds in Barangay Tamag, Vigan City.
The first inning went scoreless as both teams braved the sweltering heat at the pitch, which measured at 32 degrees Celcius.
Team Sox, led by ace slugger Jasper Torres, eventually warmed up in the second inning, hitting seven runs over Western Visayas’ lone trip to the home plate.
The team scored another run and tightened their defense in the last two innings, limiting Western Visayas to make just two more runs for a final score of 8-3.
“This is a good start for our team. We’re hoping to sustain this momentum all the way to the championship round,” said baseball coach Lord Ken Naval.
Naval, who coached Sarangani’s little leaguers to the regional championship last month, said they are “totally focused” on overcoming their forgettable performance in the 2017 Palarong Pambansa in Antique.
After winning the championship in 2016 in Legazpi, Albay, the team did not even reach the quarterfinals last year.
"Defeating Western Visayas, the third placer in the last year's Palaro, is really huge for us,” Naval said.
Sarangani’s baseball team dominated Soccsksargen Regional Athletic Association meets in the past several years.
Led by little leaguers from Maitum town, the team represented the country and placed third in the 2016 Asia-Pacific Intermediate League Baseball Tournament held in Clark, Pampanga.
Meantime, Soccsksargen entered the medal standings with two bronze medals from athletics on Monday morning.
John Dave Tumulak of South Cotabato took the bronze in javelin throw while John Paul Batobalani won another in long hump.
Team Sox’s elementary booters also won their first assignment, 6-1, against Ilocos Region.(HST/PNA)
