SINGAPORE – There were happy faces in the Singapore men’s softball team on Wednesday, despite their 4-0 defeat by world No. 3 Japan in the Asia Cup final in Kochi.

After finishing third in 2019 and 2022, the result was the Republic’s best showing at the tournament and booked them a spot in the group stages of the World Cup.

Singapore qualified for the final after finishing second in the preliminary round with four wins (Hong Kong, Chinese Taipei, the Philippines, India) and a loss (2-0) to Japan. Ranked 12th in the world, they were clearly the underdogs in the final against the hosts, who topped the group with a flawless 5-0 record.

National coach Koh Ruoh Jie, 41, was pleased with the team’s performance over the four days. He said: “We didn’t commit many errors and we scored a couple of runs that helped the team eventually win the games in the preliminary rounds. It was definitely our goal to make the final.”

For the 2019 SEA Games champions, the 9-5 victory over three-time Asian champions Philippines in the preliminary round was their biggest achievement at the tournament on Shikoku island.

Co-captain Marcus Chew, 27, said: “To win against them with a convincing score and to score seven runs in the first inning showed us the effort and improvement made from the last time we faced them.”

Koh added that the experience from the 2022 Asia Cup, where they finished third, helped the Singapore players.

He said: “We brought back the lessons we learnt from last year, and this year we are more composed and ready. We were prepared for all kinds of situations.”

Co-captain Foo Say Kian added: “This was our second major tournament since the Covid-19 pandemic, so that gave us more confidence and composure to finish better.

“We’ve matured and progressed as a team and naturally that allowed us to get better on the field. This is the first time we’ve made the finals, and I am proud that we created history.”

The Singapore team will compete in the group stages of the World Cup in July 2024, with only eight teams (top six, host nation, best third-placed team) advancing to the 2025 Finals in Saskatchewan, Canada.

The Republic last competed at the World Cup in 2019 – they finished 15th – and missed out on the 2022 edition after finishing third in the Asia Cup that year.