Home|Sports|The Bahamas’ 12U team bounced out of world series qualifierSports

Simba FrenchSend an emailJuly 24, 2023 80 2 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

The Bahamas’ 12U-and-under (12U) team lost a heartbreaker to Curaçao in that division’s quarterfinals of the Babe Ruth Caribbean Baseball Championship and Invitational at the Baillou Hills Sporting Complex on Saturday.

The Bahamas lost 3-2 after giving up the game-winning run to Curaçao in the final inning. It was an intense game in which no team could separate themselves from the other. The loss meant that The Bahamas was unable to qualify for the Cal Ripken Major/70 World Series at Ballparks of America in Branson, Missouri, later this summer, through tournament play, but the nation does receive a wild card spot in the world series by means of hosting the Caribbean qualifier. On the field of play, they were unable to repeat as champions.

After going down 2-1 at end of the fourth inning, The Bahamas needed at least one run in the top of the fifth inning to build some momentum. Gerard Rolle came in as a pinch runner and stole second base, then third base to set up the game-tying effort. Rolle eventually came home to tie the game at two runs apiece.

The Bahamas came up empty in the top of the sixth and final inning. In the bottom of that inning, Curaçao had the game-winner on third with two outs. The batter made contact, and a fielding error by The Bahamas’ first baseman allowed Curaçao’s winning run to score for the victory for them, advancing them to the semifinals.

The Bahamas finished with four hits in the game while Curaçao had just one hit. However, The Bahamas had three costly errors compared to Curaçao’s one error.

Ralph Burrows finished 1-for-3 at the plate and scored a run. Ajai Knowles had no hits in three at-bats but he had one run batted in (RBI). Malique Israel, Kylan Taylor and Amari Knowles had the other three hits for The Bahamas.

The Bahamas opened the scoring for the game in the top of the first inning when Burrows came home to put them up 1-0. Curaçao got a run in the bottom of the third to tie the game at 1-1. Curaçao came back and scored one run in the bottom of the fourth inning to go up 2-1.

Prior to this game, The Bahamas took care of Jamaica, 15-0. They also took care of the Netherlands Antilles, 12-2. Both games were on Friday. They finished second in Pool A with a 3-1 win/loss record. Cuba won the Pool with a 4-1 record