(Story by Marco Stoovelaar; Photo by Robert Bos)
     Curaçao wins Bronze in Caribbean Baseball Cup; Qualifies for Central American & Caribbean Games
Nederlands
 NASSAU (Bahamas) -
Curaçao won 4-2 against host the Bahamas on Sunday-afternoon (December 11) to capture the Bronze Medal in the Caribbean Baseball Cup-tournament.
By finishing in third place, Curaçao qualified for participation in next years Central American and Caribbean Games (June 23-July 8) in El Salvador.
In the evening, Puerto Rico won the event by defeating Cuba 9-4 in the Final.
On Saturday, Curaçao led 2-0, but lost 4-2 in the Semi-Final against Cuba.
In the other Semi-Final, Puerto Rico won 9-3 against the Bahamas to become the second finalist and also qualify for the Games next year in El Salvador.
Two teams of the Caribbean Cup would qualify, but Cuba already had done so earlier.
On a sunny Sunday-afternoon (26 degrees Celsius, 78 Fahrenheit) at The Andre Rodgers Baseball Stadium at the Queen Elizabeth Sports Complex in Nassau, Curaçao came from behind via a 4-run rally in the bottom of the sixth inning.
Curaçao was outhit 6-5, but it was winning pitcher Nelmerson Angela, who had a great outing on the mound for Curaçao.
The lefthander went the distance, struckout ten batters and gave up six basehits.
Despite giving up two runs in the sixth inning, Angela didn't encounter that much problems.
This season, Angela pitched in the Dutch big league for Amsterdam Pirates for whom he also will play next year.
Last year, he made his debut in the highest league playing for Storks.
In the first five innings, Angela dominated and retired all 15 batters he faced, six of them via a strikeout.
His Perfect Game, No-Hitter and ShutOut all ended in the top of the sixth.
Warren Saunders led off with a single for the Bahamas.
An attempt to move him in scoring position failed, as next batter Yeshua Saint bunt-attempt on a 2-strike-count was a foul ball and so, he struckout.
Angela then followed with another strikeout, but then gave up a homerun to D'Shawn Knowles.
The Curaçao-offense was silenced in its first three at bats by Bahamas-starter Giovante Tomlins.
He walked two batters in the first inning, but the inning ended with a force out.
Curaçao also stranded two runners in the second at bat.
Ortwin Pieternella then led off with a single and Shurendell Mujica walked with two outs.
An error led to runners at the corners, but a flyout ended the inning.
Tomlins then retired the side in the third.
...Nelmerson Angela in action in the 2022...
...Dutch big league-season for Amsterdam Pirates...
(© Photo: Robert Bos) |
Travvis Fergerson took over the Bahamanian pitching in the fourth inning and also retired the side.
With two outs in the fifth, he gave up a single to Rayshelon Carolina.
Moments later, he stole second base and advanced to third base on a throwing error.
With that, Curaçao was close to the opening run, but after Raywendley Van Gurp had walked, Carolina was then picked off at third base by Fergerson.
But in the bottom of the sixth inning and trailing 2-0, Curaçao struck.
Darren Seferina led off with a single and with one out, Rayheandell Michel also singled.
With runners at the corners, Michel stole second base.
Both scored when Ortwin Pieternella followed with a double.
That led to a pitching change.
McKell Bethel took over, but he was greeted with a single by Aldair Daal, which again gave Curaçao runners on first and third base.
After Daal had stolen second base, Bethel uncorked a wild pitch and that enabled Pieternella to score the go-ahead run.
Hereafter, Daal scored the next run on a sacrifice fly by Shurendell Mujica to put Curaçao ahead 4-2.
Now with a lead, Nelmerson Angela returned to the mound in the top of the seventh and continued his dominance.
After the lefthander had retired the side in the seventh, he gave up two lead-off singles in the eighth to Warren Saunders and Yeshua Saint.
Thereafter, he was greatly supported by his defense.
With runners on first and second, a bunt by Cherif Neymour towards first baseman Dudley Leonora ended in a force out at third base, as he got the ball in time to third baseman Raywendley Van Gurp.
With Neymour at first base and Saint at second base, a grounder towards Van Gurp by next batter D'Shawn Knowles ended in a double play.
First, Neymour was forced out at second base.
Second baseman Shurendell Mujica then threw the ball to Leonora at first base, but there, Knowles was safe.
In the meantime, Saint had advanced to third base, then continued running towards the plate.
Leonora then threw the ball to catcher Ortwin Pieternella, who tagged out Saint to complete the inning-ending double play and secure the lead.
With one out in the bottom of the ninth inning, Angela gave up a single to Dante Stuart.
After he had stolen second base, Angela struckout his tenth batter.
The inning and the game then ended with a flyout on what was only the 101st pitch by Angela in this game.
(December 11)
|
