By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
The Philippines relied on a massive four-run rampage in the seventh and last inning to eke out a come-from-behind 4-3 victory over Czechia and keep its final bid alice in the Canada Cup International Softball Championship in Surrey, British Columbia on Saturday, July 6.
The Cebuana Lhuillier-backed Blu Girls relied on a three-run homer by Victoria Magbanua and a run by Angela Gabriel atop the seventh and final inning that erased a three-run deficit and sealed the win to stay in the hunt.
Kikay Palma redeemed herself from an early meltdown on the mound by shutting down the Czech batters in the bottom seventh that forged another win-or-go-home playoff duel with the loser between host Canada and Australia.
It was a sweet victory for the country, which barely made the playoff round after claiming the fourth and last playoff spot in Pool A after winding up with a 2-3 record in the group stage.
At first though, it looked like the Filipinas would have an early exit after the Czechs roared to a 3-0 start in the second inning when Iyana Perkova produced two RBIs in that impressive stretch.
It also helped the Czech Republic that Veronika Pekova was nearly untouchable on the mound where she ended up with 14 strikeouts.
That ended in the final inning when the Blu Girls turned things around.
