The Duracell Nationals started out in good form in the first inning of Game 2 of the JBLN Junior Division Championships by scoring two runs with two outs. Sherman Ferguson singled sharply to center field, while Brandon Murray also lifted one to center field that was misplayed by the Twins, sending Ferguson all the way to third.


The Nationals’ David Sweeting then sent a hard-hit shot to the Twins shortstop, who couldn’t come up with the ball cleanly. An overthrow sent Sweeting to second and plated the first two runs of the game for the Nationals.


In the top of the second, Nationals pitcher Murray shut down the powerful Twins batters for the second straight inning. But Twins pitcher J’avaughn Stubbs returned the favor by blanking the young Nationals team in turn.


The Twins broke loose in the top of the third inning. Stubbs singled to centre, while Gerald Major walked and Marcus Farrington smacked a base hit to right field to bring in a run. Brandon Burrows then walked and Nicholas Alexiou connected on a sacrifice fly to center field to score another run. An error by the Nationals pitcher allowed Joemeko Culmer to get on base and another run scored. Aaron Thompson grounded out to third base for the second out, but drove in another Twins run.


The Nationals finally got out of the inning when Lynden Pindling grounded out to the pitcher, but the Twins had upped their lead to 4-2.


The Nationals pulled the score to within one run, 4-3, in the bottom of the third inning after Scott Brown reached base on an error, Hilton Bowleg popped out to left field, and Murray reached on an error. Sweeting finally drove in a run with a sacrifice fly to right field, while Herman Maycock closed out the third inning for the Nationals with a fly out to center field.


The fourth inning proved to be offensively productive for the Twins as well, as they consistently shelled the Nationals pitcher for base hits. Tyrone Miller doubled to left, while Stubbs singled to right and took second on an overthrow. Farrington hit into a force out at third for the second Twins out of the inning. But the Nationals pitcher walked Burrows, Spencer Roberts, and Thompson. An Alexiou infield grounder and a Pindling hit that scooted through to right field gave the Twins the lead 8-3 after the top of the fourth inning.

Follow up:

The Nationals managed to claw back three runs in the bottom of the same inning when Nathan Cartwright, Bowleg, and Murray were all hit by pitches. Brown managed a base hit, but Sweeting was robbed of a hit on a line drive shot smacked right back to the Twins pitcher, who gloved the hit with an acrobatic catch. The inning ended with the score 8-6 in favour of the Twins.


Ben Myers led off the top of the fifth inning with a walk, followed by a monster two-run homer by Major to make the score 10-6 for the Twins. Farrington then managed a base hit to right field and Burrows walked to put two men on base. Twins pinch hitter Michael Bowleg then slammed a base hit to center field to score Farrington and add to the Twins lead.


The Twins scored two more runs in their at-bat to make the score 13-6. The Twins’ Miller hit into a double play to end the inning for the Twins.


Sam Wrinkle began the bottom of the fifth for the Nationals with a base hit to centre. The Twins centre fielder tried to throw the runner out at first, but Wrinkle took second on the misplay. Corben Abila would register a base hit to score another National run, after two outs. However, that was all the Nationals could muster, as Brown popped out to the pitcher to end the inning with the score 13-7 for the Twins.


Myers again walked to lead off the sixth inning for the Twins. Major continued the Twins onslaught by hitting into a fielders choice, then stealing second base. Farrington’s base hit to left run scored Myers and Burrows’ base hit run scored Major for two more Twins runs. The score was 15-6 in favor of the Twins with the game and championship series on the line with the final National at-bat.


Bowleg started a potential National come back with a base hit in the bottom of the sixth, while both Ferguson and Murray took bases after being hit by pitches. Sweeting’s base hit to left field scored Bowleg, but a Constantine Papageorge fly out to left field ended the game and the series with the score 15-7 in favor of the Twins.


The First Caribbean Twins earned the Junior Division crown with the win, by taking the series 2-0.