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Bahamas Men’s national softball team suffer 4-1 loss to Puerto Rico
By BRENT STUBBS
Senior Sports Reporter
bstubbs (at) tribunemedia.net
THE Bahamas men’s national softball team suffered their second straight setback at the Central American and Caribbean Games Qualifying Tournament.
On Saturday in San Andres, Colombia, the Bahamas lost 4-1 to Puerto Rico. In that game, ace Edney ‘The Heat’ Bethel was working on a no-hitter before Puerto Rico stormed back for the win.
Bethel finished with six strike outs for his second straight loss. Van ‘Lil Joe’ Johnson went 2-for-3 with a run batted in and Terran Wood was also 2-for-3. The Bahamas was scheduled to play Mexico yesterday, but no results were available up to press time last night.
The team, managed by Winston Seymour and coached by Bobby Saunders and Alphonso ‘Chicken’ Albury, have three games left against Costa Rico, British Virgin Island and Honduras.
The top four teams in their pool will advance to the playoffs where they will battle the top four teams in the other pool. By virtue of making the playoffs, all eight teams will advance to the CAC Games scheduled for July in Colombia.
Colombia were awarded a bye as the host team. Bahamas Softball Federation president Burkett Dorsett said despite their second straight loss, the team was hoping to bounce back against Mexico. “They are playing their three toughest teams first, so they feel they still have a chance to qualify when they play the other three teams,” Dorsett said.
“They just have to win their next three games and they should be able to qualify. It’s going to be tough, but they are still in high spirits.” Dorsett, however, said that it’s not going to be an easy road because it appear as if all of the teams are playing at a high level to qualify. Heading the Bahamian delegation is Jeffery Henfield. Efforts to contact the team at their hotel was unsuccessful.
The Bahamas lost 7-0 in its opener on Friday to the Dominican Republic. Bethel got the starting nod, but was relieved by Darren Mortimer. Winston Seymour had the lone hit for the Bahamas.
Editor’s Note: Regular readers will recognize the name of Bahamas pitcher Edney “The Heat” Bethel, a longtime member of Haziel MacDonald’s Texaco Pirates, of Man-o-War Cay, Bahamas.