Camille Naredo

Head coach Saki Bacarisas (center) with members of the Philippine women’s baseball team, September 1, 2026 at the PSA Forum. Handout/PSA

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<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1788251786469karen1.jfif" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960" alt="Head coach Saki Bacarisas (center) with members of the Philippine women’s baseball team, September 1, 2026 at the PSA Forum. Handout/PSA"/>Head coach Saki Bacarisas (center) with members of the Philippine women’s baseball team, September 1, 2026 at the PSA Forum. Handout/PSA</div>MANILA — The Philippines may have fallen short of the Women&#x27;s Baseball World Cup Finals, but its maiden appearance on the world stage proved that the country&#x27;s women can stand toe-to-toe with the world&#x27;s best.Entering the tournament as a wildcard entry and ranked No. 21 in the world, the Philippines finished fourth in the Tainan group after a 2-3 record from Aug. 23 to 27.<div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/sports/othersports/2026/5/7/ph-women-s-baseball-team-earns-wildcard-entry-to-wbsc-world-cup-1722" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">READ: PH Women&#x27;s Baseball Team earns wildcard entry to WBSC World Cup</a></div>&quot;It feels very heartwarming that we were able to give pride to the Philippines,&quot; first baseman Martine Francisco said in the Philippines Sportwriter Association forum on Tuesday.&quot;I think it&#x27;s more important for us being the first ones to give the first win to the Philippines in a world cup stage for baseball,&quot; she said.The Filipinas opened their campaign with a 3-0 loss to powerhouse Japan, but the game provided valuable experience for the squad.&quot;Actually, &#x27;yung una kasi naming nakalaban, which is Japan, doon namin nakuha &#x27;yung experience. Nakakasabay kami sa laban ng Japan,&quot; head coach Isaac Bacarisas said.Weather disruptions then pushed the Philippines into a demanding two-game schedule, but the Filipinas responded with their strongest stretch of the tournament.The squad first blanked No. 7 Cuba, 6-0, for the country&#x27;s first-ever baseball World Cup victory before taking down Great Britain, 6-2, to put itself in contention for a spot in the next round.Bacarisas credited the team&#x27;s early arrival and five-day stay in Taiwan for helping the Filipinas build momentum.&quot;Noong nakalaban namin ang Cuba, nakuha na namin &#x27;yung momentum namin, ang advantage kasi namin doon, maaga pa lang, nandoon na kami, five days before the tournament,&quot; Bacarisas said. &quot;That&#x27;s why, pagdating namin sa larong namin against Cuba and Great Britain, natural na namin doon.&quot;The Filipinas, however, could not sustain their momentum against two of the tournament&#x27;s powerhouses, ending the Philippines&#x27; World Cup Finals hopes. Host Chinese Taipei, ranked No. 5 in the world, dealt the Philippines an 8-2 setback before No. 6 Venezuela completed the Filipinas&#x27; group-stage run with a 10-0 victory.More than the final standing, the Filipinas discovered exactly where they need to improve.&quot;Sa ngayon, sa mga member natin ng national team sa babae, nandoon na lahat ng depensa. Ang kailangan namin talaga yung opensa at sa pitching side,&quot; Bacarisas said.The coach believes the Filipinas can already match the level of Asia&#x27;s top teams and they simply need more opportunities to prove it.&quot;Ang competition level naman dito sa Asia, like Japan and Chinese Taipei, nakikita namin na kayang-kayang pa namin sabayan &#x27;yung mga iyon, kulang lang talaga sa exposure.&quot;Lack of exposure remains one of the biggest obstacles for Philippine women&#x27;s baseball, with the national team having no domestic league and limited tournaments outside international competitions.For Francisco, the Filipinas&#x27; World Cup debut offered a clear look at how they stack up against the world&#x27;s best.&quot;I think it was a good gauge of where we are and where we are skills-wise. So moving forward, we know where we have to improve, what we have to work on, and how much further we have to go,&quot; Francisco said.&quot;So it&#x27;s our first exposure on the world stage and it&#x27;s definitely not going to be the last.&quot;Captain Veronica Velasco now looks to turn the experience into motivation for the team&#x27;s next campaign.&quot;Mas lalo namin pagpoporsigihan &#x27;yung training kasi alam namin na kayang-kayang talaga sumubay sa mga top-caliber teams sa World Cup. Hopefully mag-qualify tayo sa finals sa susunod,&quot; Velasco said.The Filipinas&#x27; historic run also adds another chapter to the growing presence of Filipino women in sports.&quot;Us women are the current in sports now with at least football, with [tennis star Alex] Eala,&quot; Francisco said. &quot;And it&#x27;s very heartwarming to be part of that and to be part of history.&quot;

The Philippines may have fallen short of the Women's Baseball World Cup Finals, but its maiden appearance on the world stage proved that the country's women can stand toe-to-toe with the world's best.

The Philippines may have fallen short of the Women's Baseball World Cup Finals, but its maiden appearance on the world stage proved that the country's women can stand toe-to-toe with the world's best.

Filipinas blaze trail in historic Women's Baseball World Cup debut

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Filipinas blaze trail in historic Women's Baseball World Cup debut

Kurt Mandigma,

ABS-CBN News Digital Intern

Published September 01, 2026 04:38 PM PHT

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Updated September 01, 2026 04:40 PM PHT

Read More:

baseball

Women's Baseball World Cup

Philippine women's baseball team

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