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| Myra Japitana completes her dash to home base. |
Luck finally ran out for the all-Filipina softball team, Fate, when it met fiercest rival Phoenix Ghost at a hotly contested game in Shek Kip Mei field on May 14.
The game marked by a lot of contested calls by the umpire ended with Phoenix winning by a hairline, 11-1, against Fate.
It was the first loss for Fate in the regular league of the Hong Kong Softball Association.
The all-Filipina team was off to a good start, gathering six points in a row in the first inning. Those who scored were Ma. Eva Mendez, Myra Japitana, Liezeal Algonez, Don Gaborno, Romela Osabel and Cherry Octaviano .
Locals then took their turn to bat, and managed to score two points, through Tsang Lai Shan and Qu Zhe.
The inning ended at 6-2, in favor of Fate.
In the second inning, Fate added another three homes to their score, courtesy of Mendez, Japitana and Algonez.
Gaborno’s strong pitching led to two consecutive batters from Phoenix being called for standing out. However, La Wan Lee managed to get through, adding one point to her team’s score.
The second inning ended with Fate still ahead, 9-3.
Phoenix tightened its defense in the third inning, leaving Fate scoreless. The locals, however, managed to add two points to their score, with Tsang Lai Shan and Qu Zhe making the grade.
The third ended at 9-5 with Fate keeping the lead.
Tempers flared when the locals took their turn to bat in the fourth inning. Fate protested several calls by the umpires, particularly a thrown ball by Gaborno which they said should have been a strike, but which the umpire called as balls.
Phoenix took advantage of Fate’s loss of heart, piling up six more points courtesy of Pang, Wang Sze Ni, Fung Wai Ling, Tsang Lai Shan ang Qu Zhe.
The umpire stopped the game when the locals’ score reached 11, as against 10 by Fate.
Fate was still waiting for their last turn to bat, and there was still a lot of time left in the clock, but the umpire stood pat on his decision to end the game.
Fate could only walk away in disgust and frustration.
Earlier, Fate was at its best form when it trounced local rival LHT, 11-1.
For the first three innings no one from LHT managed to reach home base. They managed to break the spell in the fourth inning, with Chung Yin scoring a point.
In contrast, Fate players Mendez, Editha Hidalgo, Gaborno, Ynez Badajos, Algonez, Katherine Gerpacio, Osabel and Maribel Sitchon all made it to homebase, earning a total of 8 points for the team.
LHT flexed some muscles in the second inning, and succeeded in preventing the Filipinas from adding to their score.
Japitana managed to break free from the rivals’ tight defense in the third inning, adding a point to Fate’s score.
In the fourth inning, Mendez and Gaborno each added a score, lifting Fate’s score to 11.
Fate is now is waiting for the rankings and the schedule of their next game.
