The Blu Boys with Lhuillier.
Blu Boys get it done
THE Blu Boys only had one thing in mind when they joined the recently concluded World Softball and Baseball Confederation (WSBC) Men’s Softball Asia Cupchampionship in Kochi, Japan: to qualify in the World Cup later this year in New Zealand.
And delivered as they reached the finals against world no.2 ranked Japan, lost 2-9, but still took the last seat to the World Cup.
Reaching the finals was not easy as the Blu Boys only finished second to Singapore in Group B in the elimination round, lost to Japan 0-7, but beat India 8-1, enough to take the remaining slot .
It was the 9th time of 11 tries that the team has qualified to the World Cup where their best finish was 4th place way back in 1968.
“We are very proud of our Blu Boys, they accomplished their mission despite numerous challenges. We are looking forward to their stint in the World Cup and definitely, they will get the support they need to prepare for it, ” said Amateur Softball Association of the Philippines (ASAPHIL) president Jean Henri Lhuillier, a staunch supporter of Philippine sports.
On his part, Blu Boys head coach Apol Rosales lauded his team’s performance against Japan.
They (Japanese).are second in the world. Just to play them in the finals was a big accomplishment already, and we even scored two runs from six hits in that game,” said Rosales,who is aiming for a top 6 finish in New Zealand but says the team need high level exposure and competition prior to the World Cup.
“It’s big improvement for us considering Japan blanked us earlier in the tournament.”
Even Japanese team manager Hiroshi Yoshimura was impressed by what he saw.
“Your team gave us anxious moments, your boys are young and talented , and can go far given the right exposure,” he said in a post-game interview.
