Country’s 12U tournament team wins two games; 16U team comes out victorious
Simba FrenchSend an emailJuly 8, 2022 502 2 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email
Playing one baseball game is tough but to play two in one day and win by a cumulative 26 runs is quite a feat. That is what The Bahamas’ 12-and-Under (12U) tournament team did on the opening day of the Babe Ruth Caribbean Region Championships at the Baillou Hills Sporting Complex yesterday.
The 16-and-under (16U) team was also in action and came away with a 4-1 win.
In the 12U tournament’s team game against Puerto Rico in the afternoon, they did not give up a single run as they won 6-0. In that game, Ajay Knowles went 2-for-3 with two runs batted in (RBIs) and a run scored. Kaizen Dorsett came away with two RBIs as well, going 1-for-3 at the plate. Jordan Archer also had two RBIs.
This team is managed by Lionel Ferguson Jr.
The game started off as a defensive battle. The Bahamas got on the scoreboard in the top of the second inning. They wore down Puerto Rico’s defense by the fourth and fifth innings, scoring two and three runs in those frames respectively.
Team Bahamas pitcher Mirko Gervasini went the distance, striking out six and yielding just two hits.
In the morning session, The Bahamas dismantled the Cayman Islands, 20-0, in a game that was stopped short due to the mercy rule. The game lasted just two and a half innings. The Bahamas scored 11 runs in the first inning and nine runs in the second inning. Dorsett led the way going 3-for-3 with four RBIs and two runs scored. Knowles was 2-for-2 with three RBIs and three runs scored. Carlton Storr had four RBIs and scored two runs as he went 2-for-3 in that game.
Javan Smith pitched the entire game for The Bahamas and came away with nine strikeouts.
The other 12U team from The Bahamas in the tournament, the host team, had a tougher time, but still came away with a 6-5 win over Cuba. It was a come-from-behind win for the Bahamian team as they trailed 3-1 at the end of the first inning. By the end of the second inning, they were down 4-1. In the third inning, the Bahamian team scored four runs and they held a 5-4 lead.
The game was tied at five runs apiece heading into the bottom of the fifth inning. The Bahamian team plated one run to win the game.
Cuba had seven hits in the game compared to four for The Bahamas. This Bahamian team is managed by Javier Bowe Sr.
In the 16U game, Tavano Baker went 3-for-3 with an RBI for The Bahamas, leading them past the Netherlands. Breyian Dean finished 1-for-2 and had two RBIs. Overall, The Bahamas had eight hits on the way to scoring four runs. The team is managed by Greg Burrows Jr.
The Netherlands scored their one run in the top of the first inning. The Bahamas responded with two runs of their own in the bottom of the first inning to take a 2-1 lead. They added one more run in the bottom of the second and then scored one more run to complete the scoring. Strong defense and good pitching helped The Bahamas to shut out the Netherlands after the first inning.
The winner of the 12U tournament will advance to the Cal Ripken Major70 World Series at Ballparks of America in Branson, Missouri, from August 4-13, 2022.
The Bahamas’ 12U tournament team will play The Bahamas’ 12U host team at 9 a.m. today. The 16U team will play Puerto Rico at 11 a.m. today. The tournament continues through Monday July 11 at the renovated fields at the Baillou Hills Sporting Complex.