The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

The Bahamas women’s national softball team watched as Guatemala broke away from a 4-4 tie to put up five unanswered runs in the final two innings to snatch a 9-4 win.

It was day one of Group A competition in the WBSC Softball Americas Qualifier in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada, on Sunday night.

“It was a tightly contested game for five innings,” said Bahamas’ assistant coach Shane Albury.

Albury is travelling along with manager/head coach Yvonne Lockhart, assistant Anthony Bullard and pitching coach Nerissa Lockhart. “A few defensive miscues, lack of hitting in key situations ultimately led to the 9-4 loss to Guatemala. Nonetheless, the ladies played a pretty good game.”

Guatemala led off with a single by Valerie Valdez, who eventually scored a run on an RBI single by Nichole McClendon.

The Bahamas tied the game in the second inning on an RBI single off the bat of Altavia Hall but Guatemala retook the lead, scoring consecutively in the next two innings to make it 4-1.

In the fifth inning, Bahamas tied the game but then Guatemala broke the tie one more time in the sixth with three runs, and secured the game with two more runs in the seventh. Josselline Monge went the distance and earned the win for Guatemala. She gave up six hits and struck out eight with one earned run.

Thela Johnson started and worked 5.2 innings, giving up six hits with four strikeouts and five walks with three earned runs.

Ramone Hanna came in and completed the game with two hits, two walks and as many earned runs.

Third sacker Altavia Hall led the offensive attack for the Bahamas from the sixth spot in the line-up. She enjoyed a perfect 3-for-3 night with a run batted in (RBI) and run scored.

Johnson, batting in the cleanup spot in the fourth position, also helped her own cause by going 1-for-2 with a double and a run scored.

Shortstop Mia Turner, batting seventh, was 1-for-3 with a run scored, second baseman Eilyah Johnson, the leadoff batter, was 1-for-3 and centre fielder Dawayna Pratt, the ninth batter, scored a run in her three plate appearances.

Second sacker Sharon Castro went 2-for-4 with two RBI and a run in leading the attack for Guatemala.

The Bahamas was scheduled to play Cuba in the late game last night.

Cuba was coming off a 17-0 whitewashing by Canada.

Today, the Bahamas is scheduled to face Puerto Rico in the late game as well.

On Wednesday, the Bahamas is set to play Argentina before taking on host Canada on Thursday. The playoffs are set to start on Friday.