The United States Virgin Islands Baseball Team ended the 7th Caribbean Baseball Cup with a win over St. Maarten, earning the bronze medal in Nassau, Bahamas.
The USVI hoped to improve on its second-place finish in the 2024 edition of this event. However, the Virgin Islands dug a deep trench for themselves after suffering two heartbreaking one-point losses in the opening two games of this event. After a day of rest, the USVI was finally on the right side of a one-point result, defeating the Dominican Republic 3-2.
In their final round-robin game, the Virgin Islands faced the defending champions and the only team in the tournament that had not sustained a loss, Curacao. The 2024 gold medal team broke the USVI’s string of one-point outcomes, winning 8-3. The loss left the USVI in fourth place, not good enough to make the championship game, but made them eligible to compete for third.
The USVI played St. Maarten in the bronze medal game. The Virgin Islands bats came alive, pounding out 11 hits on their way to a 6-4 victory. Zayd Brannigan was the first batter in the lineup, and he also led the team with three hits. Rafeal Jackson and Isronel Wilson also tallied two hits each for the winners. Tranetham Devin struck out six, earning his first win of the event. Colton Andersen picked up the save. Jurgens Switzer got the loss for St. Maarten. Raul Jacobs collected two of St. Maarten’s seven hits for the game.
The championship game featured the home team, the Bahamas, versus the defending champions, Curacao. Nelmerson Angela, starting pitcher for Curacao, kept the Bahamas bats quiet as he gave up one run in six innings. Tyreek Sherman was equally as impressive, only allowing one run in four innings pitched. The Bahamas coach went to his bullpen in the fifth, and Curacao greeted Orxavier Saint rudely by scoring two runs. The Bahamas’ second arm out of the bullpen didn’t offer much relief as Glovante Tomlins also allowed two runs. Curacao successfully defended its title with a 5-1 victory.
Here is the All-Tournament Team:
Catcher: Phildrick Llewellyn, Curacao
First Baseman: Arthur Bonevacia, St. Maarten
Second Baseman: Keanu Jacobs, St. Maarten
Third Baseman: Daunte Stuart, Bahamas
Shortstop: Mairoshendrick Martinus, Curacao
Left Fielder: Ericson Leonora, Curacao
Center Fielder: Victor Draijer, St. Maarten
Right Fielder: Jonathan Ponder, United States Virgin Islands
Designated Hitter: Toby Simmons, Bahamas
MVP: Nelmerson Angela, Curacao
