softball males out

Only one obstacle stood between Hall 7 and the softball quarterfinals – Hall 5. Both teams had met previously in this round of the competition, with the latter hall coming out victorious. Although Seven were unable to avenge the defeat this time around, the team put up a much improved display, taking the match to 5 innings before losing 16-20.

Seven fielded first in the bright but windy conditions. In the first inning both teams scored 7 runs apiece, albeit in very different manners. Hall 5’s players were took several walks through cautious batting, while Seven’s batters drove the ball deep into the outfield to send teammates home.

The second inning saw only one run, which was scored Seven, giving them a narrow lead going into the last ordinary inning. Hall 5 retook the lead in their batting half of the third inning through 2 runs, only for Sam to level the score at 9-all before 3 of Seven’s players were downed.

Incredibly, the score was not settled in fourth inning. Seven switched pitchers in the middle of their fielding half but were unable to stop Hall 5 from getting 7 runs before the switchover. However they equalised through some strong batting of their own in the return half.

With everything to play for in the final inning, each half started with a runner at second base and the number of players that needed to be put out was reduced to two. Hall 5 eked out a 4-run lead before their turn was ended. Seven were unable to score any runs to overturn or reduce the deficit. It turned out not to be their day in the end, but the team exit the competition knowing they put up a very strong fight against a familiar opponent and turned the encounter into a thriller.

Final score: Hall Seven 16, Hall Five 20 (after 5 innings)

-Nicholas Lim