The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

ST AUGUSTINE’S College rolled its Big Red Machine out of Freedom Farm with four victories on the opening day of the Bahamas Association of Independent Secondary Schools’ (BAISS) softball season and is now just one game away from completing a repeat of all four titles.

SAC’s junior girls and boys and senior girls and boys pulled off four impressive victories yesterday as the BAISS best-of-three championship series got started. The junior girls held off the Nassau Christian Academy Crusaders 5-4, the junior boys knocked off the Queen’s College Comets 7-4, the senior girls routed the Comets 15-3 and the senior boys stunned the Crusaders 18-5.

Game two in each series will be played tomorrow, starting with the juniors at 4pm. The seniors will follow. If necessary, the third and deciding games will be played on Thursday.

SAC 5, Crusaders 4

SAC got three runs from A Rolle as Taylor Walters got the job done on the mound to take the upper hand in the junior girls series.

“We expected NCA to come out because we know that they are not just going to give it to us,” said SAC’s coach Vernice Russell. “We made some errors in the game that could have cost us the game. But luckily, we were able to pull it together in the end and pull off the victory. Those little errors, we have to avoid committing them. I believe if we do, we can take this in two games.”

Shantavia Turnquest and Rhema Otabor both scored two runs for the Crusaders. Benet Johnson was tagged with the loss.

“We had too many errors on the outfield and that cost us the game today,” said NCA’s coach Michelle Miller. “We have to win on Wednesday. Runs, hits, pitch and play defence. Win or go home.”

SAC 7, Comets 4

Kerwin Scrivens helped his own cause in picking up the win on the mound and scoring three runs to lead SAC to the junior boys’ opening win.

“I think we did what we had to do. We came out and were aggressive at the plate with our bats and we got the runs to run,” said SAC’s coach JeVaughn Saunders. “We just have to come out with the same mindset to be aggressive at all times and be technically sound on the field and we should be good.”

Swanson Gibson and Ajai Hart both got on base twice and scored twice for QC. N Armbrister suffered the loss.

“It was a bit of a disappointment. We didn’t play both sides of the field. We made too many errors,” said QC’s coach Gary Markham. “I think when we started to come back, we put ourselves in a corner. So we really didn’t play that well today. We’re much smarter than that. SAC is very well organised, but we can exploit their weaknesses.”

SAC 15, Comets 3

Valencia Gibson had another stellar pitching performance, striking out 15, including the side in each of the five innings. Gibson struggled a little in the fourth as India Sweeting, Dawayna Pratt and Iesha Shepherd scored the three unearned runs for QC, but she still managed to strike out the side.

Offensively, Jerique Roberts scored four runs and Shawnte Curtis, Shakarra Sweeting and Dochea Stubbs came home twice each to put the game out of reach as SAC coasted to the senior girls victory.

“We did well. We executed and carried out our game plan,” said SAC’s assistant coach Jerome Roberts. “We played good, fundamental ball and if QC come out to play on Wednesday, we will have to play up to them and they will have to play up to us, but we are going to stick to good fundamentals.”

Pratt started for the Comets, but she was relieved by Sweeting in the third.

“I think the girls were nervous. They didn’t play up to their potential. They started out making some easy miscues and the game got away from them,” said QC’s coach Larry Sweeting. “But they settled down and they played good in the third and fourth innings. But we gave it up in the first two innings.”

On Wednesday, Sweeting said his Comets will have to step it up offensively and defensively if they stand a chance of stopping SAC sweeping them.

SAC18, Crusaders 5

Andreas Seymour cracked a two-run home run in a five-run fifth inning that helped sealed victory for SAC’s senior boys. They scored five runs in the first, four in the second and four more in the fourth.

Additionally, Kyle McKenzie crossed the home plate three times and Austin Knowles, Dwayne Murray and Shane Moncur all scored twice as Travis Pratt picked up the win on the mound.

“The first game was good. We came out and hit the ball well,” said SAC’s coach Reggie Forbes. “Our guys are on the brink of peaking for the season and come Wednesday, we expect them to be at their best. We’ve been working hard all season and now it’s time for us to receive our rewards.”

Kevaughn McKenzie had a solo homer in the sixth as NCA came up with four runs to try to make a dent int the lead, but it was too little, too late. Moxey ended up scoring two runs.

Devon Curtis suffered the loss before he was replaced by Amard Pratt in the fifth when SAC pulled away.

“This is SAC environment. This is what they are accustomed to, playing under the lights with their fans in the stands cheering,” said NCA’s coach Ainsworth Beckford. “If you don’t have the pitching and the plays to make against them, you will have a difficult time against SAC.”

Beckford had some difficulties with his starting pitcher and he attributed it to the fact that the “pressure got to him” and it didn’t help that they felt they didn’t get some of the calls they expected from the umpires. But Beckford said it’s something they will have to adjust to when they come back on Wednesday to try to force a third game.