By Jeffrey Darrion Siler II
The Almada White Sharks have taken the double this year with the recent winning of the Portuguese Cup. Earlier this season, the Sharks clinched the National Championship of 2011, and this latest victory gives the South-side Tejo team the coveted “Dobradinha.” This is the second “Dobradinha” for Almada, the first of which was in 2008.
Abrantes, Portugal again hosted the Portuguese Cup, with the finals being held on October 22nd and 23rd between the White Sharks and Bravos CSLV. Day 1 saw an action packed first game between these two teams, with both sides scoring runs in the 1st. The visiting Sharks started the game with 3 hits and plated 5, while Bravos strung together 2 hits and a sac fly to plate 2. White Sharks offense streaked on, scoring 6 in the 2nd, and 4 in the 4th. While able to plate 3 more over the course of the afternoon, Bravos batters were not able to crack White Sharks pitching. Starter Octavian Merineanu took the W, while Almada hurlers combined for 11K through 7-innings. Sharks SS Silvio Silva hit 4 for 5 on the day with 6 total bases (2-2B, 4R, 2RBI), and newcomer Heslen Rodriguez was one of 5 Sharks to bat over .500. Bravos starter Eduardo Molina was able to fan 7 through 6-innings, and notable hitting performances came from M Vicente, P Fonseca, and R Santos. First game of the Cup Finals ended in 7 with a final score: WS 23-5 Bravos. Box Score available here:
http://www.gamechanger.io/game-4e9d7882d55a3847b6000004/boxscore
Following the game, a skills competition was held for three different categories: Homerun Derby, Pitching Accuracy, and Speed Trials. Three players from each team were selected for each category, the winner crowned as champion of each specific skill. Judges Petr Stříbrcký and Luis Caratao oversaw competition and handed out medals to the winners.
Final results:
Homerun Derby Champion: Kirk Darwin (Bravos)
Pitching Accuracy Champion: Jeffrey Darrion Siler II (White Sharks)
Speed Trials Champion: João Tiago Fonseca (White Sharks)
Game 2 saw the continued offensive prowess of the White Sharks. Almada posted 11 runs in the 1st-inning, and totaled 18 runs in 5-innings of play. Bravos were able to plate 3, with strong hitting from A Meneses (2B), T Lanoe, V Matos, and H Neto. While hitters for Bravos were aggressive, they were unable to capitalize with runners in scoring position. Notable hitting performances came from White Sharks pitcher Jeffrey Darrion Siler II (2-2B, 3B, 4RBI), Ricardo Costa (2B, 2RBI), and Rui Lopes (3B). Almada pitching fanned 9 through 5-innings, while Bravos pitching fanned 6: Bravos pitcher T Lanoe totaled 5K in 3.2-innings of work. Second game of the Cup Finals ended in 5 with a final score: Bravos 3-18 WS. Box Score available here:
http://www.gamechanger.io/game-4e9d7864c0976069e3000003/boxscore
A very special thanks to all players for participation, and especially to Sandra Monteiro and the Portuguese Baseball and Softball Federation for the continued hard work and investment in Baseball in Portugal.