brokenball gets it right in his comment where he says the soft hands absorb the energy of the ball on hardbat.
This also applies to regular sponged rubber.
The variable of the grip pressure at and during impact is way too under-discussed and understood.
It is the "secret force" of many top players... the control and variation of grip pressure for a given ball and a desired output.
We have a nearly 60 yr old Russian dude who moves like a teenage monkey, has next to zero topspin tendencies, yet gives fits to the 1900-2100 California crowd. Dude is NEVER out of position, plays off the table, and adjusts to the ball at the last moment with grip pressure change. Dude has strokes that would make a coach cringe (not technically terrible stroke, but the wrong one for the ball) but is so damned good at grip pressure adjustment, gravity and his placement save hiz bacon in rallies.
I just hate to rally with him, so difficult to read his impact and resultant ball... I succeed vs him only because I can setup and finish the ball on the first attack most of the time… or bait him into low percentage attacks.
Dude has next to zero ability to topspin vs an underspin ball... but his stroke is always a HIT... if he gets it right, it is damned difficult to handle the very fast no spin ball often right into your middle... and... this dude does this with MODERN INVERTED RUBBERS BOTH SIDES. He learned or developed his TT while in USSR era Russia with very inexpensive hardbat and dude is not gunna change much except for getting better footwork that is already embarrassing 2500 USATT level players.
If you learn grip pressure and how to adjust to the ball, you can get point after point by pounding opponent's middle with fast flat dad balls and watch macho-man topspin attacking monster out of hiz/her element.
OP... that is what you COULD expect using a hardbat vs an attacking player if you adjust to a few things.
… or you could just paddy cake the ball under and below real slow, keep it on the table and giggle like 99% of those who use that kind of bat.