Jean Henri Lhuillier, Amateur Softball Association of the Philippines president and Cebuana Lhuillier President and CEO, commended the Cebuana Lhuillier Slo-Pitch Softball Team for winning the 28th Pangaea Cup International Tournament Men’s Super Division last March 3 to 5 at Clark Field in Angeles City, Pampanga.
“I am very proud of every team’s success as the result of each member’s motivation to work hard to achieve their goal,” said Lhuillier, a long-time Philippine sports patron, who vowed to continue supporting softball in the country.
On opening day, Cebuana Lhuillier Slo-Pitch Softball Team prevailed against GZK Korea (12- 2) and Taipei on Tap Kings (18-4).
The team then wrapped up the game against Taguig East with a score of 12-2, but succumbed to the overwhelming tournament favorites Fattboyz (USA).
In the quarterfinals, Cebuana Lhuillier Slo-Pitch Softball Team defeated Grim Repears from Singapore (11-5), to set up a rematch against the Fattboyz in the semifinals, where the Filipinos scored a close 9-8 victory.
In the finals, the team won against undefeated Guzzlers (USA) 12 to 9 to capture the Men’s Super Division.
“The key is not the will to win. Everybody has that. It is the will to prepare to win that is important. It was a huge accomplishment for us because Guzzlers (USA) is a powerhouse team,” said coach Jasper Cabrera. This explains why they have already been in deep training for the past months. Their preparations include practice sessions, strategies, workouts, and actual games.
The Cebuana Lhuillier Slo-Pitch Softball Team last won the Super Division at the Pangaea Cup, one of the longest-running softball tournaments in the region, in 2016.