The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

THE Bahamas team in the Pony-13 World Series came close to making history as champions before falling short in their semifinal match in Whittier, California over the weekend.

Called “The Almighty 10,” the team will return home today having had their impressive run in the weeklong tournament come to an end when they lost 13-3 to Johnstown, the USA East Coast champions.

“I think the team played extremely well in the tournament,” said Terran Rodgers, who headed the delegation. “We came here short handed after leaving three key players home, two who caught the pink eye and one who couldn’t get his visa in time.

“But we added a couple of players who would not have been on the team and they stepped in and gave a very good account of themselves. I think the make-up of this team was one of the best that we have seen and that was the key to our success.”

This was the third year that the Bahamas played in the tournament, but after winning one game the first time and none the second time, Rodgers said the third time was a charm with their two victories.

After losing their opening game 15-3 to Lansing, the USA Northern champions, on Friday, the Bahamas pulled of a double header on Saturday. They took their frustration out on the USA host team Whittier 17-6 and avenged their loss to Lansing with a 9-4 win.

Had the team won against Johnstown on Sunday, they would have played the undefeated team again in the double elimination style tournament. However, by virtue of losing the game, the Bahamas were eliminated.

“The players surpassed our expectations,” Rodgers stated. “There were moments where we had some errors in the game, but that’s to be expected at this age level and their inexperience.

“But overall, they surpassed our expectations and we were very happy with their performances. This is history for us as Pony Baseball Baseball in winning these two games and getting to the semifinal of this tournament.”

The Bahamas team was comprised seven players from the Junior Baseball League of Nassau (JBLN) – Nathaniel Zervos, Norman Bastian, Adrian Edgecombe, James Francis, Seth & Sean Swaby and Kayden Dean; two from Grand Bahama – Brandon Hutchinson and Malique Charlton and one from Freedom Farm – Skye Hanna.

Bastian turned out to be the top performer as he went 7-for-13 for a 0.538 batting average. He also had a team leading nine runs batted in (RBI). Edgecombe led the way with the most stolen bases with a total of nine.

Dominic Elliott was the team manager and Adrian Carter and Kareem Hanna served as the coaches.