Sweet revenge as St Gabriel’s Secondary down ACS (I) in B Div final to claim first softball title
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Sienna Yang
- St Gabriel's Secondary avenged their 2024 C Division loss to Anglo-Chinese School (Independent), winning the B Division softball final 12-4.
- Key player Jarrell Yap led St Gabriel's to their maiden softball title, overcoming past defeats and contributing significantly to the win.
- Intensive training, including sessions with national pitchers and a camp in Kuantan, prepared St Gabriel's, while ACS (I) struggled with injuries.
AI generated
SINGAPORE – When St Gabriel’s Secondary School pitcher Jarrell Yap stepped onto the Jurong East Softball Field for the National School Games (NSG) B Division boys’ softball final on March 10, memories from two years ago flashed through his mind.
It was on this very field – and against the same school, Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) – where his team lost the C Division final 5-1.
So when Jarrell and his team held just a slender 1-0 lead after the second inning, the fear that they would suffer the same fate started to creep in.
However, the 15-year-old put the thought behind him and rallied his teammates to exact revenge on ACS (I) with a memorable 12-4 victory to secure the school’s first softball title since the co-curricular activity (CCA) was established in 2009.
Jarrell, shedding tears of relief and joy after the match, said: “This is our first-ever B Division title. These past four years at St Gabriel’s have been life-changing, especially being part of this CCA. This will be the last time I play for this team at NSG.”
His teammate Samuel Loo, also 15, hailed national Under-18 player Jarrell for his display, adding, “This guy has been giving his life all for softball.”
In searing 32 deg C conditions, St Gabriel’s turned on the heat in the third inning, as ACS (I) pitcher Gaius Goh struggled with a knee injury before being replaced by Jayden Wong.
Niranjan Arunkumar, Jarrell, Nandan Prabhakar, Andres Teo and Tu Xi Yuan each scored to extend their lead to 6-0.
Tu Xi Yuan from St Gabriel's Secondary School up to bat in the 3rd inning.
ST PHOTO: JASEL POH
The fourth inning was a closer affair, with Jarrell scoring his third run while Niranjan, Andres and Xi Yuan added a run each to make it 10-0. But ACS (I) responded with four runs from Aidan Lin, Tiwari Agam, Naman Chaplot and Wang Yanran.
However, any hopes of them mounting a fightback was squashed in the fifth inning when Jarrell unleashed a powerful home run that also brought Niranjan home to seal the thumping 12-4 win.
Jarrell credited their training regimen for St Gabriel’s big win, noting how their coach Diamond So used his connections to bring pitchers from the national side to train with the team for three days ahead of the final.
The school team also had a five-day, four-night softball camp in Kuantan, Malaysia, last November to practise on natural-grass fields with uneven surfaces.
So, 48, the former national coach who led Singapore to their first SEA Games title in 2019, said: “I knew we would face a team with much stronger pitchers, so we arranged for two (national) pitchers who threw a lot of risers for our batters to hit.”
Jarrell added: “The gap in skill is huge when we face national team players, compared to NSG opponents. Once we get comfortable hitting against them, NSG pitchers are a piece of cake.”
For ACS (I) pitcher Gaius, 14, whose performance was affected by an injury from his growth spurt, he was proud to have “played his best” and vowed to “come back stronger” in 2027.
ACS(I)’s Gaius Goh pitching through his knee injury.
ST PHOTO: JASEL POH
ACS (I) coach Daniel Heng, 51, added: “Mentally, you could see St Gabriel’s were much more prepared than us.
“Still, I hope we can learn from them and use this experience to improve our team for next year.”
Catholic High School finished third, after thrashing Maris Stella High School 15-0 in the play-off.
