ADVERTISEMENT
Manila Bulletin devider Sports devider Blu Girls stun No. 3 Puerto Rico, keep World Cup hopes alive

Blu Girls stun No. 3 Puerto Rico, keep World Cup hopes alive

Published Jul 17, 2026 12:25 pm  |  Updated Jul 17, 2026 03:21 pm

At A Glance

  • The Blu Girls stormed back in the bottom of the seventh inning, wiping out a three-run deficit with a four-run rally capped by Nicole Hammoude's walk-off hit to notch their first win of the tournament and hand Puerto Rico its first loss.
Nicole Hammoude (WBSC)
Nicole Hammoude (WBSC)
The Philippine Blu Girls split their two matches, including a stunning come-from-behind 5-4 victory over world No. 3 Puerto Rico, to keep their campaign alive in the WBSC Women’s Softball World Cup Group Stage in Lima, Peru on Friday, July 17.
The Blu Girls stormed back in the bottom of the seventh inning, wiping out a three-run deficit with a four-run rally capped by Nicole Hammoude’s walk-off hit to notch their first win of the tournament and hand Puerto Rico its first loss.
Trailing 1-4, the Blu Girls ignited their comeback when Skylynne Ellazar lined an RBI single to center, driving in Reyae Villamin and Charlotte Sales to cut the deficit to one, 3-4.
Alyssa Daniell then hit a double to deep center field, scoring Ellazar to tie the game at 4-all.
Then came Hammoude’s game-winning hit, completing the dramatic comeback and sealing the world No. 16 Blu Girls’ breakthrough victory.
"This victory is a testament to the character of our Blu Girls," said Amateur Softball Association of the Philippines President Jean Henri Lhuillier.
"They never stopped believing, even when they were down to their final inning against one of the best teams in the world. That resilience, composure, and fighting spirit are what define Philippine softball. We're incredibly proud of how they responded, and I hope this win gives them even greater confidence as they continue their campaign,” added Lhuillier, who is CEO of the team’s longtime sponsor Cebuana Lhuillier.
The Cebuana Lhuillier-backed Nationals, however, failed to extend that momentum a few hours later and succumbed to Great Britain, 5-0.
Georgina Corrick pitched solidly for the British, allowing just one hit in a complete-game shutout while striking out nine without issuing a walk. Sydney Vitangcol’s pinch-hit single was the Blu Girls’ only hit.
Great Britain scored all five of its runs in the bottom of the fourth on RBI hits by Kaitlyn Parisi, Tia Warsop, Jahni Kerr and Jenna Thompson.
With their 1-3 win-loss record, the Blu Girls must win their last match against eliminated host Peru on Saturday, July 18 (Philippine time) while relying on other results to keep their playoff hopes alive.
Defending champion and world No. 1 Japan has already secured a playoff berth with its flawless 4-0 mark, while Great Britain (2-1), Puerto Rico (2-1) and Venezuela (2-2) also fight for playoff places.

Related Tags

Blu Girls WBSC World Cup Group Stage Puerto Rico
ADVERTISEMENT
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1561_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ static_articles_1562_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1563_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}

{{ articles_filter_1564_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.mb-article-details { position: relative; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview, .mb-article-details .article-body-summary{ font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px; font-family: "Libre Caslon Text", serif; color: #000; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview iframe , .mb-article-details .article-body-summary iframe{ width: 100%; margin: auto; } .read-more-background { background: linear-gradient(180deg, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0) 13.75%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0.8) 30.79%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000) 72.5%); position: absolute; height: 200px; width: 100%; bottom: 0; display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; padding: 0; } .read-more-background a{ color: #000; } .read-more-btn { padding: 17px 45px; font-family: Inter; font-weight: 700; font-size: 18px; line-height: 16px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border: 1px solid black; background-color: white; } .hidden { display: none; }
function initializeAllSwipers() { // Get all hidden inputs with cms_article_id document.querySelectorAll('[id^="cms_article_id_"]').forEach(function (input) { const cmsArticleId = input.value; const articleSelector = '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .body_images'; const swiperElement = document.querySelector(articleSelector); if (swiperElement && !swiperElement.classList.contains('swiper-initialized')) { new Swiper(articleSelector, { loop: true, pagination: false, navigation: { nextEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-next', prevEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-prev', }, }); } }); } setTimeout(initializeAllSwipers, 3000); const intersectionObserver = new IntersectionObserver( (entries) => { entries.forEach((entry) => { if (entry.isIntersecting) { const newUrl = entry.target.getAttribute("data-url"); if (newUrl) { history.pushState(null, null, newUrl); let article = entry.target; // Extract metadata const author = article.querySelector('.author-section').textContent.replace('By', '').trim(); const section = article.querySelector('.section-info ').textContent.replace(' ', ' '); const title = article.querySelector('.article-title h1').textContent; // Parse URL for Chartbeat path format const parsedUrl = new URL(newUrl, window.location.origin); const cleanUrl = parsedUrl.host + parsedUrl.pathname; // Update Chartbeat configuration if (typeof window._sf_async_config !== 'undefined') { window._sf_async_config.path = cleanUrl; window._sf_async_config.sections = section; window._sf_async_config.authors = author; } // Track virtual page view with Chartbeat if (typeof pSUPERFLY !== 'undefined' && typeof pSUPERFLY.virtualPage === 'function') { try { pSUPERFLY.virtualPage({ path: cleanUrl, title: title, sections: section, authors: author }); } catch (error) { console.error('ping error', error); } } // Optional: Update document title if (title && title !== document.title) { document.title = title; } } } }); }, { threshold: 0.1 } ); function showArticleBody(button) { const article = button.closest("article"); const summary = article.querySelector(".article-body-summary"); const body = article.querySelector(".article-body-preview"); const readMoreSection = article.querySelector(".read-more-background"); // Hide summary and read-more section summary.style.display = "none"; readMoreSection.style.display = "none"; // Show the full article body body.classList.remove("hidden"); } document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => { let loadCount = 0; // Track how many times articles are loaded const offset = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]; // Offset values const currentUrl = window.location.pathname.substring(1); let isLoading = false; // Prevent multiple calls if (!currentUrl) { console.log("Current URL is invalid."); return; } const sentinel = document.getElementById("load-more-sentinel"); if (!sentinel) { console.log("Sentinel element not found."); return; } function isSentinelVisible() { const rect = sentinel.getBoundingClientRect(); return ( rect.top < window.innerHeight && rect.bottom >= 0 ); } function onScroll() { if (isLoading) return; if (isSentinelVisible()) { if (loadCount >= offset.length) { console.log("Maximum load attempts reached."); window.removeEventListener("scroll", onScroll); return; } isLoading = true; const currentOffset = offset[loadCount]; window.loadMoreItems().then(() => { let article = document.querySelector('#widget_1690 > div:nth-last-of-type(2) article'); intersectionObserver.observe(article) loadCount++; }).catch(error => { console.error("Error loading more items:", error); }).finally(() => { isLoading = false; }); } } window.addEventListener("scroll", onScroll); });
Join Our Newsletters

Sign up by email to receive news.

© 2025 Manila Bulletin The Nation's Leading Newspaper. All Rights Reserved.