Forging Gold

You had to be there!

Often, when something phenomenal happens… when words cannot possibly convey the emotions and excitement of a moment… when we have become so emotionally invested in an event that another cannot possibly appreciate what we’re trying to explain… when we are not receiving the expected reaction from our intended audience… we conclude the conversation with the simple, yet empty phrase “You had to be there!”

This is true of any time we try to describe a hilarious event, a holiday, or a moment of excitement to a friend. It is also true of those memorable sports events – Kirk Gibson’s homerun in 1988; Tiger Woods chip-in on 16 at the Masters in 2005; Rafa and Roger’s epic Wimbledon clash in 2009 – that are almost impossible to describe to someone who didn’t see them. They are hard to explain because you had to experience the moment as it happened. It is close to impossible to recreate the shock, the excitement, the amazement, the whole range of emotions that a certain moment in time may contain. To truly understand it all, you simply had to be there!

From a world perspective, IASAS sports may pale in comparison to the feats of Stephen Curry, Lio Messi or Serena Williams. But we too, have our epic moments that will be long remembered and relived, both by those who performed them, and those who looked on as riveted witnesses. Thousands of IASAS graduates still fondly recall last second buzzer beaters, or goal-line stands from their high school days when they gather many years after the event, as, in a very real way, remembering gives you the experience of being there again.

One such moment occurred on the evening of April 9^th in the Championship Game of the 33^rd and final Boy’s IASAS Softball Tournament between the ISM Bearcats and the host ISB Panthers. Looking to add to the girl’s championship that had already been secured, and before a packed and raucous Reinsch Field, ISB heroically completed an epic, come-from-behind 13-10 victory that will never be forgotten by those that were there to see it.

“So, we head to the top of the 7^th, the final at-bat for the Panthers, with the Bearcats ahead by three.” – Commentator Dennis Harter

The final was a topsy-turvy affair from the outset with both teams getting a leg up, only to see the other team turn the tables. This was most evident in a wild and crazy 5^th where ISB scored 5 in the top half of the inning to go up 7-2, only for the Bearcats to respond with 7 in the bottom half to retake the lead. By the time the Panthers were down to their last at-bat in the 7^th inning, the Bearcats had extended their lead to 10-7 (IMAGE 1).

Lead by Head Coach Cameron Perry and Assistant Coach Andrew Weiser, the Panther men pulled together for one final talk before they stepped in to the batter’s box to determine their fate.

COACH WEISER: I knew it was not over. I had faith we could comeback. It had been that kind of game where the tide could turn in an instant.

COACH PERRY: I told the boys we just needed singles, singles, singles. Get some base runners on and put a little pressure on them. The rest will take case of itself. It was also helpful that we had the middle of the order coming up.

The 2-3-4 hitters in what had been a potent Panther attack all tournament long were 1B Kevin Irwin, SS Kota Sato and LCF and Captain Sam Oglesby. They had been at heart of the offense over the course of the tournament… but alas, this crucial moment in the championship was one they would let get away. An opposite field single by Sato was sandwiched by an Irwin pop-up to first, and a weak grounder from Oglesby. Sato moved to second on the Oglesby out, but the Panthers were down to their last breath.

“So, the Bearcats are one out away from the Championship. [They] can almost taste it with a three run lead.” – Harter

That breath became a steady wind as Aedan Mitchell lined a frozen-rope stand-up triple off the wall in right-centre which scored Sato. Mitchell then scored himself on a seeing-eye in-field single from Yuta Yamada which slid tantalizingly by the outstretched glove of Bearcat 1B Luis Goduco. 10-9 and the Panther bench stood up and started to believe. Next up was freshman RCF Andrew Smith who, with what Coach Perry called “clutch at-bat” coerced a full-count (including a controversial three illegal pitches) out of Harper Sy on the Bearcat mound. In one of the many moments when time seemed to stand still on this evening, Sy launched the payoff pitch to Smith.

WEISER: Smith had great composure throughout that at-bat, because at two strikes, a foul ball is an out. And that would be the ball game.

SMITH: I wanted to get on base somehow, and keep the rally going because I trusted the team behind me. Jacob [Karaul] is hitting after me… so if I get on base, that would give us the tying run in scoring position. I wanted to be patient. But being a freshman up at bat, with the game on the line, with the game in your hands… it’s pretty nerve-wracking!

PERRY: Just, great composure from [Smith]. At this point, down only one run, Smith showed a lot of fight, and a lot of discipline to be able to take pitches, and put the pressure on the pitcher. It was a clutch, clutch at-bat, because, that was the game, right there.

“Sy with the pitch, and… that’s going to be a strike. NO!!!! JUST SHORT! And Andrew Smith, with nerves of steel, to watch a ball land inches outside, earns 1^st base with a walk.” – Harter (IMAGE 2)

Although he hadn’t swung at a pitch, Smith was aboard. Yamada, representing the tying run, moved to second.

And that set the stage for the at-bat that would decide the Championship. Panther’s pitcher Jacob Karaul stepped up and stared down Harper Sy and the eight Bearcat fielders behind. The Panthers were still down to their last out; they were still down 10-9. Another “make or break” moment laid in the offing.

KARAUL: Going up, I didn’t feel a whole lot of pressure, because I felt like I would just be observing [for the first few pitches], but as soon as the first strike dropped, I thought “Ok. It’s go time,” because, chances are, he’s not going to walk me now, he’s not going to let that happen again. The surprising thing is that I wasn’t really worrying a lot, in that exact moment… you know, a lot of people have come up to me and said, “How can you remain so calm throughout all of that. That was the most stressful thing I’ve seen in my life!”… But, really what I thought was that a key concern that we had throughout the season was that we couldn’t come back when we were down, we just stayed down… but, in that moment, to see everyone on the team cheering and still fighting on, even after two outs, I thought, well, I’m going to go up there and try to make them proud.

PERRY: It was a good place to be in because, a hit of any sort gives us the opportunity to score Yamada. What also plays in, is the fact that Jacob had gone 3-for-3 in the game at this point. It was, by far, his best hitting game at IASAS, and seeing him, consistently put the ball in play definitely gave me a little more faith in what he was gonna do.

After going behind 0-1, Karaul launched a solid single into right centre field. (IMAGE 3) With two outs, like Weiser said, Yamada and Smith were off like cheetahs as soon as the ball was hit. The ball was driven directly at Bearcat RCF   Enrique Posas, whom both Coach Weiser and Perry acknowledged as the strongest arm in their opponent’s outfield. Posas came up throwing (IMAGE 4) as Perry waved Yamada home.

WEISER: (On Yamada scoring from second) With two outs, he’s moving on the crack of the bat. So, nine times out of ten, you’re sending him [home]. But I’m glad I wasn’t the third base coach making the call! [laughs!]

“[Karaul] drives one over the second baseman! That’s going to go to right field! They’re gonna send him! There’s going to be a play at the [plate]…” – Harter

It was a bang-bang play at home. (IMAGES 5 and 6) Posas’ throw, as Perry and Weiser had feared, was right on the money, as Yamada, representing the tying run, went into a somewhat awkward slide.

“We were coached to slide away from the tag,” Yamada said, “so I tried to slide across the farthest edge of the plate with my left hand.” The catch at home was made by Bearcat catcher Hiroki Akita who swept his glove around to make the tag as Yamada slid in. But during the sweeping motion, or because of contact with Yamada, the ball came loose from Akita’s glove and eventually fumbled its way to the backstop. The umpire collected his thoughts before he made the call…

WEISER: At that point, I thought the umpire could go either way. And then, I see the ball come out.

Yamada was safe (IMAGE 7), the game was tied, and Smith rounded 3^rd as Karaul expertly read there would be no cut-off on the throw and made his way for 2^nd.

The reaction to the play was evident everywhere you looked. The fans at Reinsch had jumped to their feet the second the ball left Karaul’s bat, in the process knocking over the camera that filmed home plate. The Panthers themselves had left the dugout to observe the fate of the game from the best seat in the house, with the danger being a possible interference call which might have led to an automatic out. For their part, the Bearcats had emerged from their dugout as well, as their catcher Akita made his way to retrieve the ball, which now rested against the backstop, under the scorer’s table. Pitcher Harper Sy covered home. Smith, representing the go-ahead run and having made his way round to 3rd on the throw home, hesitated, and wondered if the lead was within reach. (IMAGES 8 and 9)

PERRY: I had a great angle on the play at home, so I saw the ball come loose. Once I saw the ball had cleared all the way to the backstop, I’m telling [Smith] to “Move! Move! MOVE!” At that point, I wasn’t sure he was going to be able to go all the way, but I wanted him off, down the line… and when it was clear he could make it, I shouted, “Go! Go! Go!” We’ve always talked about being aggressive on the bases, so Smith running was what we practiced all year.

Smith slid expertly, arriving home just as a low throw from Akita skittered away, under Sy’s glove, and toward the Bearcat dugout. (IMAGE 10)

The Panthers were up 11-10 and Karaul was rounding third. (IMAGE 11)

PERRY: I saw Smith was home, and as soon as Karaul approached me at third I motioned for him to make sure he gained the base, and then to have a look home.

Akita’s errant throw eventually arrived at the Bearcat dugout where some Bearcat players themselves had assembled which may have made retrieval of the ball difficult. In a flash, Karaul was off. (IMAGE 12) The Bearcat 3B Taichi Fukumoto retrieved the ball, but slipped trying to make the play, and Karaul slid home, safely and uncontested, for a 12-10 Panther lead. (IMAGE 13) 

“Chaos breaks loose!” – Harter

Bedlam ensued as the whole Panther team was near home plate to celebrate as Karaul jumped up. Karaul was “gasping for air” out of exhaustion from rounding the bases, and elation from the adrenaline rush he’d just experienced. His teammates surrounded him in celebration as a rocking Reinsch Field looked on. “One of the great things of this inning,” Smith claimed, “wasn’t only that we hit well, it was that the bench got loud. That may have been where we got the energy to hit the ball, to run aggressively.”

“A two-out rally to define two-out rallies as the Panthers put five runs up in the top of the 7th to take a two run lead.” – Harter

The Panthers would add one more run on three consecutive hits from Hayuma Iwata, Kei Sekiguchi and Daisuke Sekine. The rally was eventually snuffed out as Kevin Irwin, who had started the inning thirteen minutes earlier, grounded to short. It was 13-10 as the Panthers strode in and prepared themselves to stave off a Bearcat comeback in the bottom of the 7^th, a possibility they didn’t take lightly. During their round robin meeting on Friday evening, the Bearcats had scored 3 in the bottom of the 7^th to score a 6-5 win and hand the Panthers their only loss of the tournament. So, few in attendance, least of all Coaches Perry and Weiser, could count them out.

WEISER: At the end of our at-bat, I knew we had to gather them, to talk to them before we went back out. Just to remind them to dig down, make the routine play… you don’t need to do anything special, just take your time.

KARAUL: As we played out the bottom of the 7^th, Irwin came over to me at one point and said, “No matter what happens from now on, thank you.” That really helped calm my nerves.

The first Bearcat batter, 1B Luis Goduco, grounded out Mitchell to Irwin, despite a desperate slide into first by Goduco. Catcher Hiroki Akita, who had been so involved in the bedlam which ensued only moments earlier, worked the count to 3-1 (with two more illegal pitches charged, this time to Karaul) before popping up to Sato at short. Dino Mendoza, representing the last hope for the Bearcats, and looking to replicate the two-out rally he’d just witnessed, popped the first offering to short right where Sekiguchi settled under it to record the 3^rd out, and confirm an improbable and unforgettable Panther championship.

“The Bangkok Panthers win it! Panthers win the championship!! What an amazing comeback by the ISB Panthers! What an amazing game played by the Bearcats as well!” – Harter

KARAUL: I feel it was the kind of thing you hear about, but you don’t really see that often! I still can’t really believe we were able to do that. But I was really proud that we ended up being the team we always thought we could be.

PERRY: It definitely was an up and down game. And full credit to ISM. We have had some great battles in the past, and they were definitely the strongest competition at this IASAS. There were a lot of peaks and valleys, but to have the drive determination and heart to play our game, small ball and aggressive base running… that last inning, even with the two outs, pretty much summed up the things we had been working on the entire season.

As the lights were turned off around Reinsch Field and the banners were taken down for what was the last IASAS Softball tournament to ever be played, the players, coaches and fans alike walked into the night reliving the memories of what they had done and what they had seen. For the Panthers, it is a memory that will live long in the annals of Panther IASAS lore; for the Bearcats, a lament for what might have been. Both teams, however, provided a spectacle and level of sportsmanship that transcended the moment, and, maybe, the quest for the championship itself. For those that were there, it will long be remembered… for those that weren’t, hopefully now, in some small way, you feel like you were.

Conor D.

For a complete video of the game, please look in “Archived Games” under the IASAS Tab above.