Ami Afriatni

Indonesia Cleans Up Asian Cup; Next Stop Sapporo

When the Indonesian national baseball team left Jakarta in a state of disarray, winning a championship was likely the furthest thing from its mind.

After five games in six days, though, Indonesia’s world view is radically different. It won all five games to take first place at the Asian Cup in Bangkok and book a place at the Asian Championship against the continent’s top teams.

“Before the competition began, I kept on reminding them to play all-out so Perbasasi’s effort to send them to the competition was not in vain,” team manager Gugun Yudinar Gumelar told the Jakarta Globe on Sunday. “They made it. They’ve shown good teamwork. I think this is the best team we’ve ever had.”

Budget shortages prevented Indonesia from entering the 2005 and 2007 tournaments. Gugun said those problems still lingered up through the team’s departure for Thailand, with Indonesian Amateur Baseball and Softball Federation (Perbasasi) officials covering the entire cost of the 18-player squad’s trip.

Showing few signs of the lingering uncertainty, Indonesia rolled through Group B. It opened group play with a 6-0 whitewash of Cambodia, before beating Burma 11-1 and Hong Kong 7-2. A 7-4 semifinal victory against Sri Lanka sent it into a finals matchup with Group A winner Pakistan.

Pakistan came into the final with plenty of hot bats, racking up gaudy scores against Malaysia (20-0, five innings) and Sri Lanka (10-0) in group play, before winning its semifinal against Hong Kong 7-2.

Its offense ground to a halt, though, against Indonesia’s pitching. Indonesia jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning before Pakistan struck back with two runs in the third. The scoreline held until the eighth, when Indonesia scored twice, and it held on in the top of the ninth to complete its triumphant return to the Asian baseball scene.

The Asian Cup was supposed to take place in March in the Philippines. But because of the country’s lack of preparedness, it was moved to Bangkok and the Philippines was banned from the tournament for negligence. Thailand was expected to be Indonesia’s main rival for a finals berth, but it lost 3-1 to Sri Lanka and 9-4 to Pakistan in group play.

Indonesia and Pakistan will now travel to Sapporo, Japan, for the Asian Championship from July 31 to Aug. 4. The field is expected to include South Korea, Taiwan, China and three-time defending champion Japan.

Having come this far, Gugun said the team’s next goal is a top-six finish and a place at the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou, China. It would be Indonesia’s first appearance in baseball at the Asiad.

Group Phase
May 25
Indonesia 6, Cambodia 0
Hong Kong 11, Myanmar 1
Sri Lanka 3, Thailand 1
Pakistan 20, Malaysia 0 (5 inn.)

May 26
Pakistan 10, Sri Lanka 0
Thailand 16, Malaysia 0 (5 inn.)
Indonesia 11, Myanmar 1
Hong Kong 10, Cambodia 0

May 27
Indonesia 7, Hong Kong 2
Myanmar 3, Cambodia 1
Pakistan 9, Thailand 4
Sri Lanka 9, Malaysia 1

Semifinals (May 29)
Pakistan 7, Hong Kong 2
Indonesia 7, Sri Lanka 4
Thailand 5, Myanmar 0
Cambodia 20, Malaysia 8

Finals (May 30)
3rd place: Sri Lanka 6, Hong Kong 5
Championship: Indonesia 3, Pakistan 2

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