Blu Girls absorb stinging defeat vs China in Softball Asia Cup

The Philippine Blu Girls came agonizingly close to pulling off an upset against higher-ranked host China, but ultimately fell short in a heartbreaking 2-1 defeat at the 2025 WBSC Women’s Softball Asia Cup in Xi’an on Thursday, July 17.Holding a slim 1-0 lead heading into the bottom of the seventh and final inning, the Blu Girls saw their advantage slip away as China rallied with two runs to steal the match.Yang Siyu delivered a crucial single up the middle to bring Li Xintian home for China's first run, before Xi Kailin followed with a single to second base, allowing Zeng Zhilin to cross the plate for the game-winning run.It was a heartbreaking finish for the Blu Girls, whose pitcher Royevel Palma came close to pitching the match to victory before the decisive meltdown.The Nationals absorbed their second defeat in five outings, relegating them to fourth place behind China and Japan, who remained unscathed in seven matches. Chinese Taipei is at close third with a 6-1 card.Earlier, the Blu Girls powered past Singapore with a resounding 13-0 win, but couldn’t sustain that momentum.Their previous wins came at the expense of Thailand (15-1), South Korea (7-0), India (15-0), Malaysia 14-0), and Singapore (13-0), with their only loss coming from Japan (1-9).The Blu Girls are battling Chinese Taipei at press time with hopes of keeping their bid for one of the three slots at stake for the World Cup group stage slated next year.ASAPHIL President Jean Henri Lhuillier remained optimistic despite the loss.“This was a tough result, but the Blu Girls showed incredible heart against one of the best teams in the tournament,” said Lhuillier, also CEO of Cebuana Lhuillier.“They’ve already proven they can compete at this level, and we’re confident they’ll bounce back with even more determination,” he added.