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Manila Bulletin devider Sports devider Blu Girls ready for big task in World Cup

Blu Girls ready for big task in World Cup

Published Jul 11, 2023 07:30 am
By MARK REY MONTEJO

The Philippine Blu Girls are all fired up to make the country proud in the Softball World Cup set July 22 to 27 in Italy. *Amateur Association of the Philippines (Asaphil) secretary-general and Blu Girls catcher Cheska Altamonte and Elsie dela Torre.*


“It’s going to be tough. We’re not going to win the World Cup but I think the team will do good and make the country proud,” said Amateur Softball Association of the Philippines (AsaPhil) secretary-general and catcher Cheska Altamonte in Tuesday’s Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Forum. It won't be an easy task for the national team as 18 of the best teams in the world, where the United States is the defending champion, meet for the centerpiece event. Adding challenge to their mission, the Blu Girls are bracketed with three-time champion Japan, Canada, Venezuela, New Zealand and host Italy. Their first game will be against the Canadians on July 22. “There are six teams in this World Cup that made it to the Tokyo Olympics and three of them are in our bracket (Japan, Canada and Italy),” said Altamonte during the forum presented by San Miguel Corporation, Philippine Sports Commission, MILO, Philippine Olympic Committee, and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR). “We’ve won against Japan and we’ve never played Italy. New Zealand we’ve won against them. And Venezuela is the most frustrating for us because palaging panalo dapat. Canada we’ve won against in 2017,” she said. “That’s why it has to be a perfect game,” said Altamonte, adding that she won’t be playing all matches to give the other catchers in the Blu Girls lineup the chance to compete against the best. The Blu Girls will try to make the most of their World Cup stint as they prepare for the Asian Games in Hangzhou in September, and hope for a podium finish.
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