Sept 3, 2006 — The Virgin Islands fell to Curacao on Saturday, 10-2, at the Latin American Minor Little League regional championships in Yabucoa, Puerto Rico.
Curacao got on the board first with an unearned run in the bottom of the first. After two singles put runners on first and second with one away, Curacao's cleanup hitter hammered a deep fly ball to center field, allowing both runners to tag. Then, center fielder Aseah Thomas' errant throw to third allowed Curacao's lead runner to score.
The V.I. then went down in order in the top of the second inning.
Although the V.I. got the first two Curacao batters out quickly to start off the bottom of the second inning, V.I. starting pitcher Kyu Matthews then walked the next two batters and allowed them to advance on two wild pitches. The next two batters reached base on errors, which allowed two runs to score, giving Curacao a 3-0 edge.
The V.I. then cut the deficit to one with two runs in the top of the third. With one out, Patrick Smith reached base on a single to left center. Kelvin Hansen Jr. then walked. After the pair each advanced 90 feet on a passed ball, a wild pitch allowed Smith to score the first V.I. run of the game, while Hansen advanced to second. Thomas then hit an RBI double to drive home Hansen.
Curacao reclaimed a three-run lead with two runs of its own in the bottom of the inning and then extended its lead to seven, with four more in the bottom of the fourth, putting the game out of reach. They added one more run in the bottom of the fifth inning as they held the V.I. scoreless for the rest of the game.
The V.I. next play Sunday at 9 a.m. against Barceloneta, Puerto Rico.
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