Story by REDintern Lim Ying Xian. Photos by Clara Yuan/Red Sports
John Chew (RI #41) prevents a HCI run from scoring after a collision at home plate. (Photo 1 © Clara Yuan/Red Sports)
Kallang Diamond, Friday, February 28, 2014 — Raffles Institution (RI) saw off Hwa Chong Institution (HCI) 11–1 to qualify for the final of the National B Division Softball Championship.
RI exploded for six runs in the first inning and were never seriously threatened. The game even ended early in the fourth inning on the mercy rule.
Raffles, who finished Round 2 unbeaten in their three games, now move on to play Catholic High who beat Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) 9–6 in the other semi-final. Raffles have a 6–1 win-loss record since the start of the championship. HCI finished the season with a 5–2 record.
HCI were unable to score any runs in the first inning, with only one batter getting on base.
Ziglar Oh (RI #28) scored the first run for RI on a wild pitch in the bottom half of the first inning. Walter Cheung (RI #68) then hit a home run to bring in three runs for a 4–0 RI lead. Russel Boon (RI #37) followed that up with another home run to score another two runs for a commanding 6–0 lead after just one inning.
There wasn’t much progress for either team in the second inning. HCI were not able to score yet again, with only one batter getting on base. Despite their good start in the first inning, over-eagerness got the better of RI, who weren’t able to extend their lead.
HCI came to life in the third inning, when Nicholas (HCI #2) managed to get on base via walks. Nicholas stole two bases and coupled with an RI error, he come home to score HCI’s first, and as it turned out, only run of the game.
Ong Juan Xun (RI #47) scored another run in the bottom half of the third inning to make it a 7–1 lead for RI but it was the fourth inning that saw plenty of action as RI pulled further away.
After HCI got on base twice but failed to bring home their runners, it was RI’s turn in the bottom half of the fourth to bat. An RI lead-off drive up the middle was followed by a series of successive bunts by Walter Cheung (RI #68), Lee Min Hao (RI #40), Ong Juan Xun (RI #47) and Cher Wee Zheng (RI #23) that yielded another three runs for a 10–1 lead. An 11th RI run brought the game to an end based on the mercy rule.
Said Daryl Kow (RI #72), captain of RI, “The semi-final wasn’t going to be an easy one. But right from the start, we took our chances and got off a great start, scoring six runs. The offense held up really well; the defence was decent in the first few innings. Throughout the game, we managed to continue piling on some runs, but defensively, we let in one run. Overall it was a decent game, but there are still points for us to improve on.”
“As the team’s goal, it is definitely to be the defending champions. Personally, I would want to continue doing what I do at training – get on base, help the team and bring in runs. In the upcoming games, I think that there is always room to improve offensively and defensively – on the pitcher’s part, the fielder’s part & of course, the batters’ part. Just improve on all these aspects – build up the defence, being more aggressive offensively and we should be good to go,” added Daryl.
Scorers
Raffles Institution
Ziglar Oh – 1
Walter Cheung – 3
Russell Boon – 3
Ong Juan Xun – 2
Lee Min Hao – 1
Jonathan Chua – 1
Hwa Chong Institution
Nicholas – 1
Score By Inning
Raffles Institution vs Hwa Chong Institution
1st Inning: 6–0
2nd Inning: 6–0
3rd Inning: 7–1
4th Inning: 11–1
Final Score
Raffles 11 HCI 1
Raffles Institution roster
Jonathan Chua (#24), Ziglar Oh (#28), Andre Chia (#51), Daryl Kow (#72), Walter Cheung (#68), Lee Min Hao (#40), John (#41), Russell Boon (#37), Ong Juan Xun (#47), Cher Wee Zheng (#23), Mukund Bala (#38), Colman Wong (#35), Siew Jia Yang (#59), Nigel Wong(#19), Jeffrey Zhou (#77), Robert Yang(#75), John Chew (#41), Elijah Chong(#18)
Hwa Chong Institution roster
Nicholas (#2), Tan Yi Zhao (#14), Edwin Lim (#16), Cheng Seong (#19), Brandon Tan (#20), Jonathan Low (#21), Paul Teh (#27), Lucas Tan (#42), Sherwin (#50), Chetwin (#99)
More photos next page
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