Milton Flores tossed a no-hitter against the Advance Strikers. (Photo courtesy of Belize Softball Federation)

BELIZE HAS NEW MALE CHAMPS
2006-10-25

This past Saturday the 2006 Interoffice Softball competition (coed) got underway in Belize with the Traditional Showcase Marathon. The event began one week after the 3rd National Male Softball Championship (fast pitch, club teams) had wrapped up at Rogers Stadium in Belize City.

Habet and Habet Dantos was the 2005 Male Champion, and now the Belize City champion BEL Rookies can call themselves national champions after winning the 2006 event’s title game, 10-6, over the Advance Strikers. Key for the BEL Rookies was a five-run bottom of the second inning, during which nine batters went to the plate. The Strikers had scored twice in the top of the inning and saw their opponents commit five errors, but they couldn’t get any closer than a couple three-run deficits.

Pitcher Richard Stephen picked up the win in the title game, which followed a game from earlier in the day in which the Rookies downed the Strikers, 8-4, backed by the pitching of Milton Flores, who went the distance and threw the first-ever no-hitter in the male nationals.

In game one, the BEL Rookies had defeated Esperanza’s International Sports, 5-1.

Pitcher Brandon Bood, who would later make a relief appearance in the title game, led the Advance Strikers to two victories as his team came through the loser’s bracket to eventually play the Rookies for the championship. The Strikers eliminated the Hope Creek Falcons with 12-7 and 9-2 decisions.

Esperanza’s International Sports had been eliminated by Hope Creek, 6-4.

Awards were presented at the end of the championship by Mr. Ned Pitts, President of the Belize Olympic and Commonwealth Games Association, and Mr. David Cruz, President of the Belize Softball Federation.

Flores was named the tournament Most Valuable Player. The Strikers’ Johnito Majarrez led all hitters with a .444 batting average.