The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

THE St Augustine’s College Big Red Machine steamrolled past the Charles W Saunders Cougars to keep their perfect junior boys record intact as the Bahamas Association of Independent Secondary Schools’ softball league action continued yesterday.

In front of their home crowd, the defending champions Big Red Machine whitewashed the Cougars 15-0 in a three-inning affair to push their front running record to 2-0. The loss dropped the Cougars to 1-1.

Kervin Scriven was stingy on the mound, firing a no-hitter, striking out five and walking five of the seven batters he put on base. However, SAC’s defence was just as potent behind Scriven, not allowing any Charles W Saunders runner to get past second base.

In what started to be a close encounter, the Big Red Machine built on their 3-0 lead at the end of the first inning by plating five more runs in the second and seven in the third for the 15-run mercy rule stoppage as they worked through three pitchers from Charles W Saunders.

“We came out and we did what we were expected to do,” said SAC’s coach Je’Vaughn Saunders. “We executed what we did in practice and the outcome was what we anticipated.”

Cougars’ starting pitcher Alvano Curry gave up just one hit - a single to Deshaughn Forbes with one-out. But the ball was misplayed by left fielder Larenz Moxey and Forbes scampered home behind lead off batter second baseman Pheron Charlton and shortstop Tyler Munroe to account for the Big Red Machine’s first three runs.

With two out to start the second inning, catcher Tyler Wallace ripped a shot to left field and was originally credited with an in-the-park home run. But it was overruled and he had to go back to third base with a triple. He then caught a ride home as Munroe followed with a RBI single. With the bases eventually loaded, third baseman Aaron Knowles got on with a RBI walk and left fielder Donovan Butler had a two-run double as he greeted Cougars’ second pitcher Breyis Dean, who started in centre field.

Up 8-0 going into the third inning, SAC struck again with lead off walks from Charlton and Wallace. Munroe and Forbes had back-to-back run-producing singles and first baseman Andre Arthur raced around the bases on a two-run triple. They tacked on two more unearned runs from Knowles and Butler, the last coming on right fielder James Francis’ RBI single. Jeter Miller came in to pitch to Butler, but the damage was already done.

“We just have to be a little more consistent with our swings and knowing what to do in certain situations, but we look pretty sharp early in the season,” coach Saunders said. “There’s always room for improvement, but I’m not concerned. We can always improve.”

It wasn’t what the coaches expected, but Brad Wood Jr said there’s a typical mental block that their Cougars players have to deal with whenever they play at St Augustine’s College.

“The guys came out a little flat and made a few errors,” he said. “But like any other time when we come down in the back here, you’re not only playing against the children, but against the coaches and mainly the umpires. I don’t think the calls were going both ways the same way. But our boys could have done better. They could have adjusted and made some better plays. They didn’t make those plays.”

If they can get their mental aspect of the game together whenever they play SAC, Wood Jr said they will be able to play just as they do when they face their other counterparts.