A packed stadium watches the Philippines women's team play Indonesia for the SEA Games softball championship in Manila. (Photo courtesy of ASAPHIL)

BIG CROWDS WATCHED SEA GAMES SOFTBALL
2005-12-09

Another weekend of international softball action begins today in Zimbabwe, where teams from around Africa are competing for the two spots available to that region in next year’s International Softball Federation (ISF) XI Women’s World Championship. The tournament in Harare follows two events that wrapped up last weekend, each boasting its own successes.

The softball competition at the 23rd Southeast Asian Games in Manila was attended by huge crowds, as seen in the photo above. Both men’s and women’s play was part of the event, with the host Philippines winning the gold medal in both categories. The Blu Girls defeated Indonesia, 8-0, fueled by a four-run second inning and dominant pitching from Syrel Ramos. The Blu Boys had a much closer result, defeating Indonesia 3-2 in the final game. Malaysia won the bronze medal in men’s play, with Thailand finishing third on the women’s side. The fourth place team was Singapore in both categories.

The games were played at the Rosario Sports Complex, with ISF President Don Porter having been on-hand for the opening of the softball competition. The SEA Games are one of 16 multisport games that softball is on the program of.

At the same time the SEA Games softball competition was concluding, so was the VI Pan American Softball Championship for Women. Taking place in Guatemala City, the event consisted of 14 teams, with berths at stake for two future major events. The gold medal game ended up pitting Canada against USA, which was a fitting matchup. Canada had won its first seven games in a row, scoring 49 runs and not giving up any. Their first loss came at the hands of USA, adding a revenge element to their rematch in the final game. USA, who would end up undefeated, also won its first seven games in a row, scoring more runs than Canada, but having given up one run.

The gold medal game was tight, with only two runs being scored, both in the third inning, and USA emerged victorious. In addition to gaining the silver medal for their second place finish, Canada was a winner off the field. Following their final round robin game, the team participated in a two-hour camp with a group of age 11-15 year old Guatemalan girls (see photo below).

The top five teams from the VI Pan American Softball Championship for Women qualified for the ISF’s XI Women’s World Championship (August 20-29, 2006 in Beijing), while the top eight qualified for the 2007 Pan American Games in Rio. The final order of finish was as follows:

1. USA
2. Canada
3. Venezuela
4. Cuba
5. Colombia
6. Puerto Rico
7. Argentina
8. Dominican Republic
9. Guatemala
10. Brazil
11. Mexico
12. El Salvador
13. Ecuador
14. Nicaragua

Canada's women's national team poses with Guatemalan girls ages 11-15 following a clinic the group had together. (Photo courtesy of Softball Canada)