LAS CRUCES >> When Las Crucen Tony Mancha started playing fastpitch softball, he never imagined he would have gotten the chance to represent his country in the sport. It was just another hobby to keep him in the sport after his professional baseball career ended.
Now, Mancha has been playing for the United States Men’s Softball team for two years and returned to Las Cruces on Sunday after pitching for the United States in the 2015 Toronto Pan American Games.
“It was the most exciting part of my career probably,” Mancha said. “To be able to play for my country and represent it well. That was cool.”
Team USA finished with a 8-7 record during the 2015 season and went 2-4 in the Pan American Games, one game shy of competing for a medal after a 1-0 loss to Venezuela on Friday to finish fourth. Mancha gave up one run on five hits and struck out seven in six innings in the semifinals loss to Venezuela.
“We faced everybody’s ace pitchers,” Mancha said. “That’s what made it tough for us. All the other teams didn’t. It just happened to fall that way when we played them and their ace pitcher was ready to pitch that night. Venezuela, they have probably the No. 1 pitcher in the world (Ramon Jones). He held us, we couldn’t hit him. We were putting the ball in play and they were a great defensive team, too. They had a home run and that was the only run of the game.”
Mancha, 36, had a 1.93 ERA with 73 strikeouts in 50 2/3 innings of work this season. Click here to continue reading at the Las Cruces Sun-News.