Philippines looking to spread goodwill

Peter Fuertes

GLENDALE -- For the Philippine junior softball national team, today’s

exhibition game between the Foothill-Tujunga all-stars is gravy.

And, on the surface, it surely seems like the Philippine team is

taking it that way.

Trips to Disneyland and Universal Studios have been placed on the

visitors’ itineraries, rather than practicing on the field.

But if that would seem to give Foothill-Tujunga a decided advantage,

it might want to think again.

After all, it will be playing the team that finished second only to

Naples, Fla. -- the U.S. South champion -- in the 2000 Little League

Junior Softball World Series in Kirkland, Wash.

The Philippine team -- which comes from Bacolod, a city in the central

part of the country -- gave the Florida representative all it could

handle, pushing it to a deciding game in the championship-round final.

After dropping its first game in the tournament to Naples, 3-2, the

Philippines went on a six-game winning streak, defeating Canada, U.S.

West representative Oak Park (Calif.), host Kirkland, U.S. Central

representative Des Moines (Iowa) and U.S. East champion Bethlehem (Penn.)

to reach the final.

The Philippines defeated Naples in the first game, 3-2, before

succumbing to the eventual champion, 10-0.

However, it couldn’t damper the enthusiasm the Far East representative

felt representing the country.

“I’m very happy, ecstatic and pleased that, for the first time, the

Far East reached the championship round (in the Little League Junior

Softball World Series),” Philippine Coach Raynaldo (Guy) Fuentes said.

The team has already received a hero’s welcome, visiting the

Philippine Consolate Wednesday in Los Angeles.

The Philippine team’s strength seems to lie in its offense. According

to Fuentes, his two big hitters are catcher Dorrie May -- who was voted

as catcher of the Little League World Series. May had 16 hits, including

three doubles, one triple and one home run during the week-long series.

Lovery Peroginog is the other slugger on the Philippine squad. She had

two home runs, two doubles and three triples during the World Series.

Febe Galon is the pitcher for the Phillipines. In the World Series,

she recorded 25 strikeouts.

However, as nice as the statistics are, and how nice it was to finish

as the second-best junior softball team in the world, Fuentes said,

“We’re looking at this completely as a goodwill game. It’s also a way for

the girls to be introduced for the Philippine community.”