Sarawak vows to bounce back against Terengganu in men’s softball

MIRI: The Sarawak men’s softball team is determined to give their best in their upcoming match against Terengganu on Saturday (Aug 17), despite suffering a sobering 3-11 defeat against Selangor on Friday (Aug 16).

Head coach Aaron Abel Donald expressed his disappointment following the match, which took place at the IKBN Miri grounds.

“I feel very disappointed because it’s only the second day and we already know our chances of reaching the semi-finals have diminished.

“As it stands, I believe we’re at the bottom of the table with two losses,” he said.

“Johor has one loss and one win, and Selangor also has one loss and one win. If we manage to secure a win tomorrow, we will need to evaluate the other teams’ results.

“If there are three teams with identical records, the fate of advancing could depend on defensive performance,” he explained.

Despite the setbacks, the team remains resolute in their approach.

 “We will still fight for that game against Terengganu,” Aaron asserted. “We are not giving up.”

Reflecting on Friday’s game, he acknowledged that Selangor played exceptionally well.

 “It was not a good day for us. Selangor eventually pulled ahead with several home runs, and our boys couldn’t get the hits we needed.

“We started strong, staying close in the first few innings, but Selangor pulled away in the third or fourth inning, and we couldn’t close the gap.”

Looking ahead, he highlighted the need to focus on improving their pitching to counter Terengganu’s strong batting line-up.

“Based on what we saw, Terengganu’s batters are very strong. Our pitchers need to play smart and disrupt their timing. If they can do that, we can avoid giving up easy hits.”

Sarawak is determined not to finish at the bottom of the table and is gearing up for a strong performance against Terengganu.

“We are still not giving up,” Aaron reiterated, underscoring the team’s commitment to finishing the tournament on a high note.

Also present during the match was assistant chef de mission for softball and karate, Datuk Sebastian Ting Chew Yew.