Pampanga stuns Manila clouters (Baseball Philippines)

Veteran catcher Rizel Santos blasted two home runs while Henry Laxamana pitched impressively as new team Pampanga stunned fancied Manila, 7-5, for its first win in the Dunkin' Donuts Baseball Philippines Series 6 at the Alabang Country Club.

The Sand Kings fell behind 4-0 in the first four innings when Santos began to take advantage of the short distance of the baseball field located inside the exclusive Ayala Alabang Village.

Santos, who also plays softball on several occasions, smashed his first one in the bottom half of the fourth off the first pitch thrown by Saxon Omandac past the left field fence to put the Kapampangans on the board.

After Michael Panlaqui hit a two-out single that scored two runners in the next frame, Santos drilled the first pitch of substitute reliever Mick Natividad for a three-run round-tripper into almost the same spot to put the Sand Kings on top, 6-4.

From there, the lefty Laxamana, a 20-year old lefty who studies at Angeles University Foundation, frustrated the Sharks with a variety of pitches to keep Pampanga ahead until the ninth inning.

"Sa game na ito, napatunayan namin na pwede kaming mag-compete dito sa liga na ito," said Pampanga coach Bogs Naquil, whose team had to travel five hours from home and stayed at a school in nearby Bayanan, Muntinlupa a day before the contest.

Manila suffered its first defeat after winning its first two matches against fancied Batangas and Cebu. At the start, the Sharks were expected to score a rousing win when they raced to a commanding 4-0 lead and with young starting pitcher MJ Gante doing well on the mound.

Games Sunday (Alabang Country Club, Muntinlupa)
9 a.m. – Batangas vs Pampanga
1:30 p.m. – Alabang vs Manila