Methodist Girls’ School clinch seventh straight B Div softball title with comeback win over Nanyang Girls’ High School

SINGAPORE – The pressure to retain their title weighed heavily on the Methodist Girls’ School (MGS) softballers as they entered the National School Games’ B Division final on March 11.

With a seventh consecutive championship on the line, tension crept into their play as they trailed 4-3 against Nanyang Girls’ High School (NYGH) after the first three innings.

But the MGS players regrouped and kept faith in themselves to mount a spirited comeback to win 12-4 at the Jurong East Softball Field.

MGS vice-captain Maeko Sng, 15, said: “There were a lot of doubts before the game. We were nervous and worried about whether we could win the gold.

“But we stayed focused and kept the mindset: Play to win.”

In a rematch of the 2024 final, NYGH enjoyed a strong start, building a 4-1 lead in the first inning and still had a 4-3 edge by the third.

But MGS turned the tide in the fourth inning with improved all-round play to take a 5-4 lead.

In the final inning, with NYGH unsettled by catcher Charissa Too’s ankle injury, a confident MGS scored seven runs without reply to put the victory beyond doubt.

MGS vice-captain Alexis Gok, 15, said: “It feels so unreal because we’ve won the gold four years in a row (from C Division to B Division).

“In the first inning, we were down, but we learnt to trust ourselves. When we play, we don’t look at the scores – we focus on what we have to do.”

Agreeing, pitcher Kiera Ng, 15, added: “We never lost our faith. We kept thinking, ‘Next play, next play, let’s get them out first’.

“We always focused on what was ahead instead of dwelling on what we couldn’t control.”

The team credited their perfect run to the title to their strong support system, which included their teachers, coach and parents.

Captain Shona Abay Gunalan, 15, said: “It really felt like a team effort. We worked hard, and all the training paid off.”

MGS coach Elaine Chua was proud of how her charges kept their cool, especially when things were not going their way.

She said: “We knew that coming into this game, it wasn’t going to be easy. The first two innings were very tight and Nanyang played well – they have a good pitcher and the ball is faster.

“But I told the girls to stay patient and keep it simple. The girls were very focused, they went all out for each other, so they did a very good job.”

Despite the loss, NYGH coach Koh Ruoh Jie was proud of his team’s display, noting that this batch of players had finished fourth in the C Division in 2023.

“They surpassed what they did (two years ago). I’m really proud of them for fighting all the way to this final.

“We will continue to fight hard to try and win the next B Division championship.”