Berkeleyites pitch, hit and run to glory
Federation softball programme, having garnered the prestigious "Triple Crown'' for the second consecutive year by winning the junior and senior girls tournaments along with the boys competition.
Berkeley then added another jewel to their elusive crown by winning the co-ed tournament at Bernard Park yesterday.
They accomplished that feat with a relentless hitting attack and smart baserunning to win all three of their games, including a victory in the final where they toppled Whitney Institute 10-7 in a game where, despite the score, the outcome was never in doubt.
Head coach Arnold Manders was quick to attribute his team's victories to the strong hitting of Glenn Jones, Anthony Swan, Bismillah Sharrieff and Naquita Dill but also relied on each player's outstanding play in the field.
Berkeley began the co-ed tournament on a solid footing with a 10-5 victory over Saltus Grammar School and then dominated Whitney in the second game with a 12-2 drubbing.
In the championship game, Berkeley relied on the hitting exploits of Jones, who got on base each time and led off the game with an impressive home run shot.
The road to Berkeley's perfect record began last week when the school clinched the junior girls title and then made their mark among the senior girls on Thursday by sweeping all their games against Warwick Academy (9-7), Roger B.
Chaffee (14-0) and Northlands Secondary (25-18) before coming out on top in the finals against Whitney (14-6).
In the spine-tingling championship tilt, Whitney grabbed a six-run advantage after their portion of the first inning with a collage of impressive fireworks at the plate. Undaunted, Berkeley pitcher Wolette Smith confidently slammed the door on a flustered Whitney squad and Berkeley's hitters then erupted for 14 runs in the next two innings.
Naquita Dill minced up Whitney pitchers with key hits including a home run in her first plate appearance, followed by excellent batting from Bismillah Sharrieff and Crystal Smith. Berkeley danced home in the first three games, receiving fine pitching from Tenia Woolridge.
In the game against Northlands, Berkeley controlled the action and tempo, even though they were forced to rely on members of the junior squad when many senior players had to leave to write exams. Sia Spence, Tanika Burgess and Alikah Philpott delivered in the clutch, particularly in the final inning where Philpott snared a long fly ball to seal the victory.
Not to be outdone, Berkeley's boys `A' squad brought home the third title on Friday with an impressive array of fine hitting to claim all four of their games.
In the opener, they tripped up Saltus 10-7 and countered that with explosive victories over Mount St. Agnes Academy (14-4) and Chaffee (22-3). In the final against Chaffee, a 12-1 victory, coaches Manders and Gladstone Thompson relied on Jones, Steven Hill, Kevin Johnston and pitcher Anthony Swan.
"They were in a league of their own,'' Thompson understated.
The boys' `B' squad ignited some hitting explosions of their own with batters Harry Hunt, Kell John Evans, Kenrick Richardson, Walde Saltus and Peter Maderios, but fell to Warwick Academy's `A' squad 15-13 in an exciting seven-inning tussle to get knocked out of the tournament.