Softball coach optimistic

Press, 13 July 1984, Page 40

Softball coach optimistic

NZPA special correspondent, TIM DUNBAR, in Michigan Mike Walsh, the New Zealand men's softball coach, is still optimistic about his team’s world championship prospects after its loss in 12 innings to the United States in Midland yesterday. New Zealand was beaten, 3-2, by the United States in a game that resumed yesterday in the bottom of the tenth innings after being washed out the previous evening, and it then shut out Mexico, 5-0, for its fifth win of the tournament. Mr Walsh said that New Zealand’s main goal now was to beat Argentina this morning to make sure of qualifying for the semifinals. “Then we’ll take one game at a time.” “It would have been nice

to finish first in our section, but I’d rather go into a final having had a loss," said Mr Walsh. The game against the United States ended on an error, when, with the bases loaded in the bottom of the twelfth innings, the third baseman, Cliff Joseph, failed to hold cleanly an infield ground ball and that allowed a pinch runner home. Mr Walsh said that New Zealand could not blame Joseph’s error for its loss. “Something like that is always going to happen in a tie-breaker. We had so many scoring chances — in the early, middle and late stages of the game — and can only blame ourselves.” In the two tie-break innings yesterday New Zealand missed two good op-

portunities. The bases were loaded with one out in the top of the eleventh, and in the twelfth, lan Stringer, the designated runner, got himself caught in the “hot box” between second and third base with none out. “That was bad base running,” said Mr Walsh. New Zealand, which still has to beat the United States in world championship play, has a psychological barrier to overcome. According to Mr Waish, however, ids players now see that the Americans can be beaten. “I’d like to have the opportunity of playing them again.” Providing it qualifies, New Zealand is likely to meet the crowd-pleasing Dominican Republic side in the second semi-final. The winner of that game

will play the loser of the United States-Canada semifinal in order to decide the other finalist. Canada had an easy run in group play, scoring 32 runs for none against in its first five matches, and it looks a good match for the Americans with its solid pitching staff and aggressive batters. New Zealand’s victory over Mexico yesterday was achieved without much trouble, with six different batters producing seven hits between them, and the pitcher, Kevin Herlihy, who sat on a no-hitter for much of the game, taking 12 strike-outs to record his twentieth win in world championship play. In the end, Herlihy gave up three hits and a walk. Both Stringer and Murray

McLean smacked long left field doubles for New Zealand, Stringer bringing in one run with his hit and McLean three. Japan, the only side that still presents a threat to New Zealand’s semi-final aspirations, yesterday broke the world championship scoring record with its 27-0 massacre of Hong Kong. Japan needed only four turns at bat. New Zealand’s score of 24-0 against Papua-New Guinea in 1980 was the previous record. Results from the sixth day were:—Group A: Japan 27, Hong Kong 0; New Zealand 5, Mexico 0; United States 4, Panama 0. Group B: Dominican Republic 10, Guam 5; Dominican Republic 11, Botswana 1; Bahamas 13, Netherlands Antilles 5.