By REYNALD MAGALLON
Erika Arnaiz threw a three-hitter in another splendid no-relief job as Bago City ruled the 2023 Junior League Softball World Series with a 3-0 victory over Milford, Connecticut in Kirkland, Washington, Sunday morning, Aug. 6 (Manila time).
Arnaiz stood out among a bevy of heroines for Bago City, baffling the Milford batters with a variety of pitches on the way to the title-clinching win – the country’s 2nd in 20 years.
Like in previous games, Arnaiz was precise as she was deadly on the mound.
She capped her dominating show by retiring15 batters she faced in the 12-14 division finals.
She underscored her status in the tournament by posting 85 strike outs, a feat that gained her instant fame.
While she was able to terrorize their rivals, Arnaiz also did well on the offensive end.
She whipped a double to right center before scampering home from third off an error that broke the ice in the second inning.
In was in the fifth inning where Arnaiz made her biggest defensive play.
Her valiant diving catch with bases loaded and still with no outs prevented the East representatives from gaining momentum. She finished off the inning by also retiring the next two batters.
Ana Dyana Buenafe then put on the finishing touches, recording two RBIs in the sixth inning for a commanding 3-0 lead for the Filipinas.
It was a perfect run for the Filipinas in the tournament after also taking down Arizona in the quarterfinals, 4-0, behind another impeccable performance from Arnaiz.
In that game, Arnaiz hurled a no-hitter after fanning out 17 batters during the contest.
The Filipinas then drubbed Texas with another 4-0 victory in the semifinals to set up the match against Connecticut.
