Batangas City rules U18 ASAPHIL men’s softball national championship

BATANGAS CITY turned back Calaca, 4-3, in the super round to emerge as the grand champion in the recently concluded Cebuana Lhuillier Under-18 Amateur Softball Association of the Philippines (ASAPHIL) men’s softball national championship at the Barangay Libjo grounds in Batangas.

The tournament, which was done to help the country discover new talents from far flung areas, also saw Pandi, Bulacan besting Batang Gen Tri to claim a third place finish.

In the placement round, Agoncillo dumped Nasugbu to rule the division while Lemery edged Cuenca to settle for third.

“This year’s championship showed exactly why grassroots development remains vital to the future of Philippine softball,” said ASAPHIL and Cebuana Lhuillier chief Jean Henri Lhuillier.

“The level of discipline, competitiveness, and teamwork displayed by these young athletes proves that the country has a very promising pipeline of talent.”

“Beyond the wins and awards, tournaments like this help shape character, build confidence, and strengthen communities through sports,” he added.

There is a strong chance that most of the best performers in this event will be part of the national team seeing action in the Asian Softball Championships set in December this year at a still unspecified venue.

Among the individual awardees were Rick De Guzman (best slugger, most home run and most valuable player) and Omar Driz (best pitcher). — Joey Villar