The Tribune

By TENAJH SWEETING

Tribune Sports Reporter

tsweeting@tribunemedia.net

Four teams competing in the Government Secondary Schools Sports Association (GSSSA) Baseball/Softball Championships have the same goal in common - one more win.

The CH Reeves Raptors and SC McPherson Sharks are both going into the second game of their best-of-three championship series with a 1-0 lead in the junior division.

The CV Bethel Stingrays continued their winning ways with two of their teams (boys and girls) taking a commanding 1-0 lead in the senior division yesterday at the Baillou Hills Sporting Complex.

Junior Division

One of the marquee matchups of the evening featured the DW Davis Royals versus the SC McPherson Sharks. The fourth seeded Sharks got the edge on the second seeded Royals 11-9. The game went back and forth throughout the seven innings yesterday. SC McPherson were leading 7-6 at the bottom of the fifth inning. However, all bases were loaded for the Royals, and they scored a three-run homer to move ahead 9-7 in the sixth inning.

Despite that shift in momentum, the Sharks ramped up the pressure and scored four runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to secure the win.

SC McPherson head coach Laquesha Swain enjoyed the level of competitiveness displayed by her team in game one.

“This was a good game, you had to be here from start to finish. My team fought all the way. I liked that during the season we showed that we can come from behind and again in this game we came from behind and showed that we could win once we put it together,” she said.

Swain knew the team had to be error free in the seventh inning.

“We knew that in this last inning we did not need to make any mistakes and they didn’t. They capitalised and I am just glad for the win. We hope to come out with the same energy tomorrow [today] and once we do that we will be carrying the trophy home,” she said.

The CH Reeves Raptors stunned the pennant winning HO Nash Lions in their game one matchup. The Raptors obliterated the Lions 18-3.

Tajhaniqua Morley, who also plays basketball for the Raptors, along with Ahnae Smith pitched in three runs apiece.

Varel Davis, president of the GSSSA and Raptors head coach, was overjoyed to get the win.

“It was a very good win. We shut them out in three innings which was the plan we had in place. My girls came out and said that they wanted to play hard and wanted to win this game. As a coach, you want the pressure to be on the opposite team for the first game so I told my girls to let’s go out there and do our best. I am very proud of them and happy and hoping to come out here tomorrow [today] and do the same thing. The plan is to hopefully end this in two games,” Davis said.

Senior Division

The Stingrays continue to be a force to be reckoned with in the GSSSA. The pennant winners knocked off the second seeded Doris Johnson Mystic Marlins 7-4 in their softball game.

Pasha Johnson, who plays pitcher, scored one of four runs in the fourth inning for CV Bethel.

Marissa Simms scored three runs for the Stingrays in the second, third and fourth inning.

Johnson was elated to get the win.

“It feels good to get the win. It felt more hype than last game and we could really feel the energy. My mindset is simply to win today, nothing else, nothing more,” she said.

The Stingrays’ senior boys defeated the pennant winning CR Walker Knights 3-2.

Championship games continue today at 4pm at the Baillou Hills Sporting Complex.