Asia-Pacific takes down USA West, 11-1

Asia-Pacific (Manilla, Philippines) wasted no time in their first game of the season, scoring early and often against USA West (Butte, Mt.) to earn an 11-1 win on Monday, Aug. 8.

Lily Mariejudiel led off the bottom of the first for Asia-Pacific with a clean single to right. She advanced to third on two groundouts induced by West pitcher Bobbie Osterman and scored on Samantha Sarda’s homerun blast to left-center to push Asia-Pacific to a 2-0 lead.

A leadoff hitter got things started for Asia-Pacific again in the second inning. Dennise Cruz coaxed a walk and moved all the way to third on a sacrifice bunt by Antoinette Ondrik. Mary Luisse Garde followed with a single, to make the score 3-0, and Garde came around on an error two batters later, to extend the lead to 4-0. Juliana Ocampo scored on a groundout a short time later to make it 5-0, and Asia-Pacific was off to the races early.

Meanwhile, Asia-Pacific pitcher Adrianne Uy was cruising along. She put down the West in order in the top of the third, and Asia-Pacific got off to a quick start again in their half of the inning.

Sarda drew a walk and her pinch runner, Christina Domingo, moved to second on a hit by Danielle Adele Cruz. Dennise Cruz was then hit by an Osterman pitch to load the bases, and Isabella Ann Mendoza lined a two-run single to push the lead to 7-0.

USA West got on the board in the top of the fourth inning. Ashton LaFond drew a walk and stole second. She advanced on a groundout by Maria Michelotti and scored on a groundout by Shannon McLaughlin. Ashley Williams and Osterman then hit two-out singles to try to extend the rally, but Uy got Ashton McCloskey to ground out to end the threat.

Apparently, Asia-Pacific took that run personally.

They notched two more runs in the bottom of the fourth after Uy laced a one-out double. Danielle Adele Cruz walked with two outs, and Dennise Cruz knocked them both in with a single to make the score 9-1.

Back-to-back errors cost USA West in the bottom of the sixth as both of those runners came around to score and push the lead to 11-1, enacting the mercy rule.

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