11152018 SPORTS

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SPORTS SECTION E

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2018

Big Red Machine, Cougars BAISS softball champions By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

T

he Bahamas Association of Independent Secondary Schools crowned softball champions in three divisions while the fourth will be determined by a decisive game three today. The St Augustine’s College Big Red Machine won both the junior and senior boys’ titles while the CW Saunders Cougars won the junior girls’ title last night at the Freedom Farm Baseball Complex. St John’s and St Augustine’s will decide the senior girls’ champion today after the Giants evened the series 1-1 with a 12-11 win in game two last night. The Big Red Machine’s junior boys secured the first title of the afternoon with a 7-5 come-frombehind win over the Queen’s

College Comets. QC took the biggest lead of either team in the game when they took a lead 5-1 in the third inning. SAC would rally and even the score with four runs in their half of the inning. Tied 5-5 headed into the fourth inning, SAC clamped down defensively and held the Comets scoreless for the remainder of the game. QC would leave two stranded in the inning and SAC would follow with their first lead of the game in the top of the fifth. After a pair of singles, Basil Dorsett’s line drive to centre field drove in a pair of runs to give SAC the win a 2-0 sweep in the series. “We were resilient. We were down early but we fought hard and we were the tougher team today. We were trying to be aggressive so we had to find a way to manufacture runs,” said SAC head coach

Je’Vaughn Saunders. “It was a complete team effort, our pitching may not have been there all night in terms of the windmill, but it was consistent and our fielding made the plays we needed to win.” The CW Saunders Cougars junior girls capped their undefeated season with a 15-6 win over the Comets to claim the junior girls’ championship title. The Cougars took an early 10-3 lead in the second inning and dominated like they have done all season. “It wasn’t an easy road but because of the grace of God we came out on top. These girls went through the first half of the season, didn’t lose a game, went to the Austin Knowles tournament, didn’t lose a game, came back and finished the season undefeated – something that has never been done in the history of the school

and I can’t express how proud I am of these girls,” Cougars head coach Brad Wood said. “Most of the girls will be moving on to senior but we are looking for big things from both teams next season.” In senior boys’ play, the Big Red Machine were powered by a pair of home runs and a stifling defensive effort. The Comets led 3-1 in the third when a solo shot to left field from Tyler Munroe trimmed the deficit to a single run. With the bases loaded again in the fourth, the Comets walked in the tying run and the Big Red Machine took the lead when Ashton Symonette plated Perez Burrows on a sacrifice fly. Following a scoreless fifth inning, Symonette hit the Big Red Machine’s second solo home run to give SAC the 5-3 lead and the game’s final margin.

STEPPING UP TO THE PLATE

NFL Picks

Week 11 , Page 3

WHICH HIGH SCHOOL WILL TAKE HOME NATIONAL VOLLEYBALL TITLE? By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net THE official list of participants has been released as 20 teams are set to vie for the title of high school volleyball national champions this weekend. Corporate sponsor JS Johnson Insurance Agents and Brokers Ltd will join the Ministries of Youth Sports and Culture, Education and the Bahamas Volleyball Federation to host the High School National Tournament November 15-17 at the DW Davis and Anatol Rodgers gymnasiums. A total of 20 teams will be represented at the event, including champions from the Government Secondary Schools Sports Association (GSSSA), Bahamas Scholastic Athletic Association (BSAA), and Bahamas Association of Independent Secondary Schools (BAISS) out of New Providence and the Grand Bahama Secondary Schools Athletic Association (GBSSAA). In addition to Grand Bahama, three other family islands will be represented

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DAVIS MAKES IMPACT WITH MAVERICKS By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

“He quickly blossomed in the new role, showing one of the higher ceilings among Indians pitching prospects. Thomas pitches with a 92-95 mph fastball and knows how to use his height to create downhill plane to the plate. “Evaluators expect him to add even more velocity as he grows into his athletic and projectable frame. He also has a feel for an above-average curveball, thrown in the upper 70s, as well as a changeup that should improve as he gains more experience,” the report said. “Thomas is already adept at throwing strikes with his fastball

RADSHAD Davis’ adjustment to the NCAA Division I level has been a seamless transition thus far as he has made an immediate impact with the University of Texas-Arlington Mavericks. The junior guard transfer is averaging 11 points and 8.5 rebounds per game while shooting 50 per cent from both the field and three-point range and 78 per cent from the free throw line. Davis narrowly missed his first double double as a Maverick with nine points and 11 rebounds in his team’s 74-65 win over fellow mid major powerhouse University of Northern Iowa Panthers. Trailing at intermission, 33-32, UTA eventually knotted the contest at 39-all not even four minutes into the 2nd half before embarking on a 14-4 run over the next five minutes to create the first double-figure lead by either team of the evening, 53-43. From there, UTA didn’t allow UNI to get any closer than three the rest of the way. The matchup pitted two of the nation’s best midmajor teams over the last several years as UTA owns the 2nd-most wins in the state of Texas since 201516, three-straight 20+ wins

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LUCIUS Fox and Jazz Chisholm (top left inset) continued their stellar play in the Arizona Fall League in their most recent appearances. SEE THE FULL STORY ON PAGE 4

Thomas traded to Pirates in the minor league By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net TAHNAJ Thomas will be on the move next season with a new organisation in the minor leagues. Thomas was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates from the Cleveland Indians alongside Erik Gonzalez and Dante Mendoza in exchange for Jordan Luplow and Max Moroff. Last season, Thomas appeared in eight games (six starts) in the Rookie League this past year, recording a 4.58 ERA and 1.20 WHIP with 27 strikeouts in 19.2 innings. The 19-year-old righthander was assigned to the AZL

Indians 1 in the Arizona Rookie League. Thomas was listed as the No.30 rookie prospect in the Indians organisation. His scouting grades include Fastball: 60, Curveball: 55, Changeup: 55, Control: 45 and Overall: 45. His scouting report also suggests that he projects as a starting pitcher with his progression through the minor leagues. “A Grand Bahama native, Thomas signed with the Indians in December 2016. Though he was a shortstop at the time, the Indians were more interested in Thomas for his potential as a pitcher and moved him to the mound full time shortly thereafter.


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