‘We simply didn’t rise to the occasion,’ says Hong Kong baseball coach after Chinese Taipei slump

Twelve-time international champion baseball coach Anthony Bennett observed silently as his Hong Kong women’s team suffered a 16-1 defeat by world number six Taiwan in Sai Tso Wan this afternoon.

Bennett, who was brought in as a key tactician for Hong Kong’s campaign in the BFA Women’s Baseball Asian Cup, says his team has a long way to go if they want to be considered one of the best in Asia.

“It’s tough. When you put yourself into a tournament environment, you have to bring your A-game every time. We simply didn’t rise to the occasion today,” says Bennett, in what was the home team’s biggest test in the tournament so far.

It was a relatively tight encounter over the first three innings, with a cautious Chinese Taipei edging out 4-0 in the rain.

The turning point came mid-way through the fourth. Local fans were still in high spirits as reliable pitcher Sandra Hung Yik-shan stepped in and persistently attacked the strike zone. A potential comeback was in the works after Hong Kong got on the scoresheet, but it all fell apart from there.

“That was a huge glimmer of hope. We also hit a couple of hard balls right at them, which was a bit unlucky,” reveals Bennett. “But we weren’t consistent with our approach defensively.”

Sloppy Hong Kong fielding allowed Chinese Taipei to pile on the pressure and stretch their lead to a point of no return.