Sydney struggles for White Sox
The New Zealand White Sox have a lot of work to do to have any hope of qualifying for the Tokyo Olympic Games after a dispiriting seven successive losses at the Asia Pacific Cup tournament in Australia.
Kevin Gettins’ team ended their campaign in Sydney yesterday with a 6-0 loss to out-of-season Italy in the wooden spoon match at Blacktown International Stadium.
The White Sox were without some key players, including four of their best - captain Ellie Cooper, Lara Andrews, Hailey Breakwell and Mikayla Werahiko - but the results were discouraging ahead of July’s world championships in Japan with the Olympic qualifying pathway looming.
New Zealand - ranked 11th in the world - scored just 10 runs and conceded 50 in Sydney and lost to teams they will need to beat in Japan, including Italy (ranked 8th), Chinese Taipei (5th) and China (12) to press their Olympic claims.
Pitching depth remains one of the White Sox’s biggest problem areas. Gettins’ hurlers gave up 76 safe hits - at an average of over 10 per game - and the hit parade included a lot of extra-base efforts, including home runs.
He was, however, without three of his 2016 world championships pitching staff - United States-based Courtney Gettins and Taylor-Paige Stewart and the injured Jennifer FeretBrear.
There were some positives with teenage newcomers Pallas Potter, Denva Shaw-Tait and Erin Blackmore having their moments with the bat, along with the more established Kingsley Avery, Krysta Hoani and Shannon Hearne. But, collectively, the White Sox - who rarely face international quality pitching - had 34 hits, at an average of just under five per game.
The White Sox started their campaign last Thursday with a 4-0 loss to the Australian All Stars, registering four hits ( by Hoani, Potter, Hearne and Katrina Nukunuku) to their opponents’ eight.
They struggled against Amelia Cudicio’s pitching in a 8-0 five innings defeat to the Australia Spirit national team.
The Australians amassed 11 hits to New Zealand’s two - both from centrefielder Avery’s bat.
Chinese Taipei beat New Zealand 7-4 after slugging 13 hits to the White Sox’s six.
The margin was made closer by the Asian team’s five fielding errors.
New Zealand’s young brigade led the way at the plate with Blackmore and Shaw-Tait, both 18, picking up two hits apiece. Hoani and Nukunuku also sup- plied singles.
Japan, the 2008 Olympic champions and the world’s number two ranked team, took just four innings to thrash the White Sox 10-0 after 12 hits, including two home runs (one automatic and the other inside-thepark), a triple and two doubles.
Avery (2), Potter, Hoani and Aperira Stone picked up New Zealand’s five hits.
Hoani went three from four in a 5-4 loss to Italy, which saw the Italians grab two runs for victory in the bottom of the seventh inning after New Zealand had a 4-3 lead.
The White Sox ended round robin play with a 10-2 six innings loss to China - listed one place lower than New Zealand on the World Baseball Softball Council rankings.
New Zealand surrendered 13 hits and seven earned runs. Catcher Zoe Tolhopf cracked two hits, including a twobagger, while Avery, Hoani and Blackmore had singles.
They finished on a low after being shut out 6-0 by Italy, who recorded 10 hits to four with power batter Marta Gasparrato going three from three.
Hearne (2), Tolhopf and Avery were the only successful Kiwi batters.