JAKARTA -- There will be no podium finish for the Philippine Blu Girls at the 18th Asian Games.
In a game with everything on the line, the Blu Girls succumbed to the hitting of nemesis Chinese Taipei, losing 6-3 in the semifinals and crashing out of the competition at the Gelora Bung Karno softball field.
The pitching, which saw four different pitchers try to contain the Chinese Taipei onslaught, gave up 11 hits, including two home runs. Just like in their game the previous night, the Blu Girls blew a number of chances to get on the board.
Starting pitcher Kaith Jalandoni gave up a home run on the very first at-bat, with Lai Mengting knocking it out of the park to right field. Moments later Coach Rady Dizer replaced Jalandoni with Sierra Lange, who steadied the ship somewhat.
The Blu Girls tied it up right away in the bottom of the first after Chelsea Suitos reached home off a Haley Decker ground ball. Angeli Ursabia then tried to give the Blu Girls the lead following a ground ball by Ariane Vallestero but she was tagged at home plate.
Both teams were scoreless in the next two innings, but things began to unravel for the Blu Girls in the fourth. Lange gave up two straight doubles, allowing Lin Fengchen to score. Pinch runner Shih Chingping reached home as well after a single by Lin Chihying, prompting another pitching change from the Blu Girls with Royevel Palma spelling Lange.
It got worse in the fifth inning after Lin belted a two-run homer that made it 5-1 and forced the coaching staff to bring in a fourth pitcher in Mary Ann Antolihao. But Chinese Taipei wasn't done. A double from Su Yihsuan allowed Chen Chiayi to reach home, and just like that the Blu Girls were staring at a 6-1 deficit.
The Blu Girls rallied in the bottom of the fifth when Suitos scored again off a sacrifice fly from Ursabia, and a single from Skylynne Ellazar brought home Reese Guevarra. But they failed to make any more headway as Chinese Taipei's defense held firm the rest of the way.
It was a sorry loss for the Blu Girls, who will miss out on a medal and finish fourth for the second straight Asiad. They came to Jakarta with high hopes for a podium finish following their runner-up finish to Japan in last year's Asian Championship. But inadequate preparation, the loss of two key players, and a few unlucky breaks Wednesday night against the very same Chinese Taipei team conspired to deny them of a top-three placing.
Team captain Chesca Altomonte said after the game that they know that Chinese Taipei is beatable, but luck just wasn't on their side. "We just had a lot of missed opportunities and we didn't deliver when we should have. That's a learning point for us."
Altomonte also echoed Dizer's assertion about their lack of preparation. Participation in two tournaments in the United States and Canada were called off, and the team hardly got to play at the Rizal Baseball Field because of the monsoon season.
"We don't get a lot of international exposure," Altomonte continued. "We don't get a lot of games because we don't have anyone to play against in the Philippines."
The Blu Girls will now turn their attention to the Olympic qualifiers, which stakes one more slot for Asia, and the 2019 Southeast Asian Games, which the Philippines is hosting.
Chinese Taipei moves on to face China, which was blanked by Japan 5-0 in the other semifinal game. The winner advances to the gold medal match.