ROUND ROBIN SCHEDULES COMPLETED, SLOW PITCH WORLD CUP MOVES INTO BRACKET PLAY

When play began Saturday morning, the Great Britain II vs. Bahamas Goombay(COED round robin) game suspended by rain Friday night resumed. It didn’t require much time though. Great Britain was leading 13-11 when the game was called last night after six innings. The rest didn’t help Goombay though as they came up and went three and out to make that score official. Great Britain had led 10-0 after three, fueled by a six-run first that saw the first six batters reach base. Goombay cut the lead to three with seven runs in the top of the fourth. Three Great Britain players went 3-for-3 including first baseman Maria Paddick, who also scored three runs.

In another (COED round robin) game originally scheduled for Friday night, Great Britain I put on an offensive show, trouncing the Bahamas Sunshine, 37-10. Three of the first five batters who led off the game hit home runs. Great Britain played defense too, retiring the side in three different innings. Seventeen plate appearances were recorded in the top of the seventh when the winners scored 13 runs, which included back-to-back-to-back homers. Pitcher David Lee was 5-for-5 at the plate, including two round-trippers.

Great Britain I immediately returned to action, winning again, this time by a score of 12-10 over Great Britain II. Great Britain II had a chance to put their opponent away, with a lead of 7-0 at one point, but were outscored 12-3 the rest of the way. They even regained control of the game, taking a 10-8 lead into the bottom of the seventh. But, three of the first five Great Britain I hitters walked and catcher Fiona Kemp and right fielder Shawn Findlay got base hits, before Tina Thirlwall tripled to complete the comeback.

In the final game of COED bracket play, the Bahamas Goombay dumped the Bahamas Sunshine, 13-3. This game was over after one inning, when Goombay led 7-1, having sent eleven players to the plate. Leadoff hitter Dornell Butler, who went 4-for-4, led the winners. Goombay finished the round robin portion as the second seed, while the Sunshine was winless and thus seeded fifth (last).

When the clock moved past 12 Noon, COED bracket play began.

Great Britain II twice rallied from five-run deficits to down the Bahamas Arawaks, 17-15. Every player had a hit and scored a run for the winners. Left fielder Clayton McGinlay doubled and homered. Trailing 13-6 after 41⁄2, Great Britain II scored eight times in the bottom of the inning to take control.

The Bahamas Goombay improved each inning to complete their run to victory, 18-9 over the Bahamas Sunshine. The winners trailed 4-3 after one and 5-4 after two, but outscored the Sunshine 3-1 in the third and 8-1 in the sixth. Right fielder Dave Mortimer was 4-for-4, all extra base hits. The win advanced the Goombay to a game with the number one seed from round robin play, Great Britain I (4-0).

With some Great Britain players competing on both the men’s and coed teams, MEN’S bracket play took center stage at 2:30.

Great Britain I opened with a statement win, thumping the Bahamas Lucayans 18-2 to advance in the winner’s bracket to a game against the second seeded Bahamas Junkanoos. The big inning was the fifth, when Great Britain scored eight times. First baseman Brett Gibbons went 4-for-5, including a first inning home run. The Lucayans were nowhere offensively, going three and out in the third, sixth, and seventh innings.

A seven-run fourth inning broke open the game, allowing the Bahamas Beaches to beat Great Britain II, 13-8, and advance in the winner’s bracket to a showdown with the top seeded U.S. team. A late Great Britain rally had to be survived though as the losers scored the last seven runs of the game, all over the last two innings. The Beaches had 21 hits, paced by shortstop Greg Smith’s 4-for-4 performance.

The U.S. Batters Choice/Mizuno team’s first game in the winner’s bracket looked a lot like its five games in round robin play. The “mercy rule” again ended one of their games early, this time a 24-0 whitewash of the Bahamas Beaches. Despite batting in only the first three innings, the winners registered 38 plate appearances, collecting 28 hits – 14 of which went for extra bases. With the victory, Batters Choice/Mizuno moves on to meet the second-seeded Bahamas Junkanoos (who also won their first game in bracket play too – 27-10).

Likely playing with the knowledge that a win would come with the chance to play the number one seed (undefeated U.S. Batters Choice/Mizuno), the Bahamas Junkanoos showed THEY can score runs too, hammering Great Britain I, 27-10. They did it by scoring runs in every inning, more than half of them in the fourth and sixth innings (combined) alone. Leadoff hitter Van Johnson had four hits and scored five runs.

In the first game of MEN’S losers bracket play, the Bahamas Lucayans rallied with two runs in the bottom of the seventh to overcome the Bahamas Beaches, 7-6. The two teams had been tied at five after six innings. The winners actually trailed 5-2 after 41⁄2 innings. The winning rally began with a single, which then represented the tying run and became such when the next batter doubled, followed by a walk, then a single which brought in the winning run.

Like Friday night though, as play seemingly was continuing on, dark clouds and very heavy rains moved in. The remainder of the evening was considered a loss, with things set to resume tomorrow morning at 8:00.

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