Heading into its 30th season of organized baseball in the country, the Junior Baseball League of Nassau is gearing up for a transformative year in which more exposure is granted to players, and the level of play continues to improve.
Fresh off a third-place finish at the 2018 PONY Bronco (12-and-Under – 12U) Caribbean Zone Championships in Yaguate, San Cristóbal, and the Dominican Republic, the JBLN recently sent two teams to the Miami International Baseball Tournament in Miami, Florida, USA. The week-long tournament is organized by the World Baseball Foundation.
Teams from all over the United States (U.S.), the Caribbean and Latin America participated, and both of the Bahamian teams advanced to the medal rounds. The 10-and-under (10U) team fell in the final to a team they defeated a year ago, while the 18-and-under (18U) team lost its semifinal game on a play at the plate in the final inning.
In the 10U division, the top seeded Academia Latinoamericana A team, from the U.S., defeated the third seeded JBLN All-Stars, 5-3, in the championship game, to complete an undefeated tournament for them. In the 18U division, the second seeded JBLN All-Stars fell to third seeded Osos de la Chorrera, out of Panama, 4-3, in the semifinals. With a runner on third and one out in the final inning, the runner tagged and headed home on a deep fly ball to right in an attempt to tie the game. The runner was called out at the plate, and the Panamanian team prevailed.
The 10U team finished round-robin play with a 1-2-1 win/loss/tie record. They tied Academia Latinoamericana B team in their first game, 0-0; defeated the Curacao Eagles, out of the Netherlands Antilles, in their second game, 11-3; lost to Academia Latinoamericana A team, in their third game, 12-5; and lost to the Chivas Cubs, out of the US, in their fourth game, 10-9.
The JBLN All-Stars then went on to defeat the Cubs in their semifinal game, 11-6, before losing to Academia Latinoamericana A team in the final.
The 10U games were played at the Grapeland Baseball Complex and the Brothers to the Rescue Memorial Park in Miami.
