The Bahamas baseball team lost again on Tuesday to the Dominican Republic, 5-1. The loss brings the Bahamas' record to 0-3 for the tournament. The Dominican team fielded strong pitching and produced key hits in the seventh inning to torpedo the Bahamas hopes for their first win.


Ashton Allen started on the mound for the Bahamas and recorded five strikeouts, until he was replaced in the top of the fifth inning by Stefan Nemhart. Nemhart was later relieved by D'Juan Seymour, who closed out the game on the mound.


The Bahamas' Geren Albury brought the stretcher out onto the field in the bottom of the first inning, after he failed to slide while trying to steal home and slammed into the Dominican catcher. He was called out at the plate. Albury was taken off to the hospital for x-rays, which showed that he had bruised his thigh but had not broken any bones.


Soonafter, Tim Smith crossed home to put the Bahamas ahead, 1-0. It would prove to be the only lead the Bahamas would enjoy all game. The Dominican Republic would quickly score in the top of the second after a series of passed balls and bad throws turned what should have been a single into a triple.


The Bahamas' hitting woes continued as well, as the team could only manage three hits for the entire game, bringing their hit total for three games to four. An apparent lack of preparation also contributed to the Bahamas' struggle. The team added three more errors to the book that resulted in additional bases and men in scoring position for the Dominicans.


Questionable decisions on the part of Bahamas coaches also led to inconsistency on the field and a general lack of sharpness, that each of the Bahamas' opponents capitalized upon. Despite the need to address a serious lack of production on the part of the Bahamas' big bats, for example, most of the coaching decisions seemed to revolve around changing player positions on defense.


Like rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic: nice thought, but utterly pointless.


The Bahamas showed a glimmer of its defensive ability, however, with one out in the top of the sixth inning and the score tied 1-1 with a runner on first base. A Dominican batter lined a hard hopper to D'Juan Seymour just right of second base, who flipped the ball to shortstop Ashton Allen who came over to cover second. Allen then tagged second and fired the ball to Leslie Darville at first base for the final out, a double play.


The Bahamas could not muster any offense in their final at bat for the inning, and the game went to extra innings.


The Dominicans tore up the top of the seventh inning, punishing Stefan Nemhart with hit after hit. They scored three runs before Nemhart was replaced by D'Juan Seymour on the mound. However, it was too little, too late, and the Dominican Republic pushed their lead to 5-1 by the bottom of the seventh inning.


The game ended on a Shaquille Rolle strikeout that left one Bahamas runner on base.


The next game for the Bahamas team is on Wednesday against St. Maarten.



Photos from the game:

The Bahamas' Geren Albury crashing into the Dominican Republic catcher

Geren Albury was taken off the field with a bruised thigh

Leslie Darville at first base

Alexander Euteneuer, batting champion of his division during the regular season, at bat for the first time of the tournament in the Bahamas' third game

Paul Smith on the field for the Bahamas

The Bahamas' bench

Stefan Nemhart at bat

Bahamas batter versus the Dominican Republic on Tuesday