The Philippine Blu Boys bowed to powerhouse Japan, 9-2, to settle for second in the 11th Men’s Softball Asia Cup in Sochi, Japan.
The Japanese pounced on the Blu Boys with five runs at the bottom of the first inning to set the tone of the match.
Still, it was a successful campaign for the newly-formed PH team, who has qualified to the World Cup in November in Auckland, New Zealand after reaching the final stage.
The team eyes a long-term program that includes reclaiming the Southeast Asian Games gold medal it lost to Singapore in the 2019 edition.