The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

The Charles W Saunders Cougars didn’t have any mercy on the Kingsway Academy Saints in their Bahamas Association of Independent Secondary Schools’ senior boys softball game yesterday.

Playing on their home field, the Cougars took advantage of the lack of fence on the outfield to rout the Saints 26-3 by hitting the long ball to push their undefeated record to 3-0.

“I’m proud of my team today. We came out and executed. Our game plan was to stop them by the mercy rule and get ready for our big game when we play SAC on Monday,” said Shorn Davis. “Hopefully we will be ready for that game when it comes and we can come out of that game victorious.”

Charles W Saunders, coached by Brad Wood, is hoping that they can avenge their exit in the playoffs to the Big Red Machine when the two square off at St Augustine’s College.

Against the Saints, the Cougars rallied from a 2-0 deficit in the bottom of the first inning to plate 11 runs on the scoreboard. They added 15 more in the second and it was just a matter of what the final score would be after Kingsway Academy tried to add a few more runs to the other one they picked up in the second.

But Cougars’ pitcher Nat Ferguson got all the help he needed from his field behind him to preserve the abbreviated victory. His teammates had already given him enough runs to work with after batting around the clock in both innings.

In the 11-run first inning, third baseman Khawan Dames blasted a three-run home run, Taneir McKinney had a run-producing single, centre fielder Van Woods followed with a three-run double, Davis contributed with a RBI triple and Dames ended the rally with a RBI sacrifice fly.

Then in the second, Nacassin Pinder led off another potent offensive attack with a two-run single, Shantano Watkins and Shorn Davis had back-to-back RBI singles, Khawan Dames had a two-run double, Kristin Fulford and Taneir McKinney consecutive RBI singles and Nitro Dean a RBI single.

The only thing the Cougars didn’t do was bat around the clock for a second time in the rally.

“We are off to a great start and we’re looking forward to playing even better this year,” Davis said. “The only thing we want to do is get past SAC on Monday and we should be alright.”

The Saints, on the other hand, opened the game with a two-run homer from Zachary Sweeting and in the second inning, Veron Marshall led off with a walk and with two-out, caught a ride home on Cameron Turner’s RBI single.

The loss dropped Kingsway Academy to 1-2, but coach Rico Seymour said there was a legitimate reason for his team’s dismal performance.

“We had four guys out of position today,” Seymour said.

“The pitcher didn’t show up, the second baseman didn’t show up, the shortstop didn’t show up and the right fielder didn’t show up.”

Seymour, who has added the senior boys team to his duty this year as the returning coach of the junior boys, credited Aaron Gibson, who did his best on the mound to try and hold Charles W Saunders at bay. But he said it was just not their day.

“No fault to Charles W Saunders, it is what it is,” he said. “So we go back to the drawing board on Wednesday and get ready for St Anne’s.”