Indonesian Baseball Team Manager M. David Franico assessed that the 4-3 victory over Laos in the fourth match of the 2025 SEA Games at the Queen Sirikit 60th Anniversary Baseball Stadium, Bangkok, on Monday, was an important result to maintain the team's chances of competing for medals after previously suffering two heavy defeats.
"Thank God, in the final innings, we managed to equalize the score, and in the final inning, we were able to steal two runs to turn the score around to 4-3," said David after the match.
He explained that the match was tight and full of strategic battles from the start.
"We played the ball down, the ball up, thank God we were able to get past base 1, base 2, base 3," said David.
Indonesia fell behind after Laos scored two runs in the second inning. Indonesia equalized in the third inning, but fell behind again 3-2 after Laos added a run. The match then went scoreless in the fifth and sixth innings.
The momentum shifted in the seventh inning when Indonesia successfully scored two more runs to secure a 4-3 lead. More effective hitting and defensive errors from Laos were crucial in the Indonesian Baseball Team's comeback.
Indonesian baseball player I Gede Ricky Takahashu Suasta said the match was tense because the team had to play catch-up from the start.
"Honestly, it was quite tense, because we had to give up the first lead to Laos. But we managed to equalize midway through the inning," he said.
Ricky believes the turning point in the match came when Indonesia scored two runs in the seventh inning. He believes Laos began to relax when the two-out situation was reached, giving Indonesia the opportunity to capitalize.
This victory was a morale booster after Indonesia's previous 14-0 defeats to the Philippines and 10-1 defeats to Thailand. Ricky admitted the dressing room was initially gloomy, but the coach's message to reset their mindset was crucial for their recovery.
"There are still games left and we can't afford to lose again," he said.
According to David, the victory over Laos has moved Indonesia up to fourth place in the temporary standings and still has a chance to compete for medals, although they must wait for the results of other countries' matches.
