By BRENT STUBBS

Chief Sports Editor

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

TEAM Bahamas’ 12U baseball team, with head coach James Clarke, team administrator Terran Rodgers and coaches Donovan Cox, Temico Smith and Norman Bastian III, is making waves.

The team players are Waiden Bain, Ethan Burnside, Bosfield Butler III, Jaycob Clarke, Josiah Filterman, Geralle Gabriel II, Isaac Richardson, Reid Ingraham, Liam Smith, Jaden Liberal, Tyler Smith, Ganno Newball, Xavier Thompson, Xavier Petit and Carmelo Wallace.

The team set off on June 6 to represent The Bahamas in the Pony World Series Qualifier in San Cristobal, Dominican Republic. 

Game 1, which was pitched by Liam Smith and Jaycob Clarke, against El Salvador saw The Bahamas with a decisive win of 21-0.

Game 2, pitched by Geralle Gabriel 11, Jaden Liberal, Xavier Petit and Josiah Filterman, saw a close, highly competitive game to the end where Team Bahamas lost to the Dominican champions 7-6. 

Game 3, pitched by Carmelo Wallace, saw The Bahamas emerging victorious with a 9-4 win over Panama. And Game 4, which was pitched by Xavier Petit and closed out by Ethan Burnside, saw The Bahamas prevail with a decisive 10-2 win over Ecuador. 

After the first round of games, The Bahamas qualified for the semifinals where they faced the Dominican host team where they fought a valiant fight against some of the strongest 12u arms in the region with pitching speeds clocked around 80 mph of which the Dominican host team emerged victorious with a 12-0 victory over team Bahamas. Team Bahamas completed the tournament with a third place finish out of 11 countries who participated as they made a strong statement that the Bahamas is a formidable force to be reckoned with in the international baseball arena. Team Bahamas returned home on June 11 after their medal presentations and award ceremony after what was deemed a successful tournament for the team.