Caribbean Classico: Softball Fun in the Sun

Jan. 1, 2020

2020 SSUSA Caribbean Classic Participants

The inaugural Caribbean Classic Recreational Tournament/Vacation kicked off Jan. 11-12 at the private field on the grounds of the Bárcelo Bávaro Palace Grand Resort in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.  This new tournament started in grand style and is intended to become a fixture on the SSUSA calendar each winter.

Fourteen players, one manager, and six guests comprised the Caribbean Classic Founding Players and Supporters Club.  Everyone flew into Punta Cana for the first practice on Jan. 9.

Team USA manager Bill Franciscus from Pennsylvania ran two well organized practice sessions on Thursday and Friday mornings and later in the day players and guests took full advantage of what the all-inclusive resort had to offer, including the beach, swimming pools, miniature golf, specialty restaurants, sports bar/restaurant, casino, and taking in the live nightly show in the Barceló Bávaro Palace’s theater.

When Saturday dawned, it was time for Team USA to find out how they would fare against the younger Dominicans in a nation where “Play Ball!” is practically the national slogan.  Because most Dominicans stop playing any form of baseball or softball before the age of 60, finding senior Dominican teams to play against was a challenge, but two such Dominican teams stepped forward, team Hamara and the Cańoneros.

To ensure everyone got plenty of softball, a double round-robin format was selected, preceded by two 6-inning exhibition/instructional games. 

These instructional games gave the Dominicans a chance to practice the slower, higher-arc pitch played in the U.S. and Canada.  Part of the mission of the Caribbean Classic is to show senior age Dominican men and women that there is a version of the game that they can play into “old” age.

Team USA played the two exhibition games on Saturday against each of the two Dominican teams, with no one paying much attention to the final scores.  These games provided an opportunity for the Dominicans to become familiar with other SSUSA rules that were new to them, such as a commit line, separate scoring plate and when a runner can leave his base.

After lunch at the field, tournament play began by pitting the two Dominican teams against each other.  With one exhibition game each under their belts, both teams were already showing progress and the result was a well-played game, with the Cañoneros besting the Hamara team by a score of 14-8.

Next came the first tournament game involving Team USA and the Cañoneros, who staked themselves to a 3-run lead entering the bottom of the 7^th.  But a key 2-run long ball delivered by guest Venezuelan player and tournament co-director Tulio Ontiveros set up Team USA to win, and when Jay Yoakum of New Mexico came through with the game-winning RBI hit, the Americans escaped with a walk-off 16-15 victory.  This proved to be the closest game in the tournament.

The finale for Saturday featured a match-up between Hamara and Team USA.  This game turned into a hitters’ contest, as the Dominicans were improving with every game played.  In this one Hamara plated 17 runs, the most by a Dominican team in any game, but the Americans also hit their scoring high water mark, as the final score read Team USA 21, Hamara 17.

With Saturday in the books, the Americans were sitting pretty, needing one more victory on Sunday to clinch the Gold plaque as tournament champions.

For the potential clinching game, Manager Franciscus tapped as his starting pitcher fellow Pennsylvanian and the most senior softball player on his roster, 76-year-old Wayne Bailey, to face the Cañoneros.  Bailey was up to the task as he delivered strike after strike with arcs brushing the 12-foot ceiling.  Team USA were visitors, and after 6 innings led by 4 runs, but scored just 1 run in the unlimited top-of-7.  The leadoff Cańonero batter in the bottom of the 7^th hit a towering homer, pulling his team back within 4 but exhausting their allowance for home runs.   Perhaps that towering homer disturbed the clouds, or maybe God decided to smile on the Americans, because as the second Cańonero stepped up to the plate, a tropical downpour drenched the infield with so much water that the tournament could not resume.

As a result, with 6+ innings in the books and Team USA ahead, they were declared the winners over the Cañoneros, and thus winners of the Caribbean Classic; the Cañoneros took the silver, and Hamara the bronze plaque.

In looking towards the future, Team USA member Lenny Guida of Florida, who hit a key grand slam in the final game, commented that “I think in 2021 these guys (the Dominicans) are going to be ready for us.  They’ll probably start practicing - pitching and hitting our higher pitch, weeks ahead of time.  It will be a challenge for us to take home the gold again next year.”

With the sun back out again, but the infield in unplayable condition, players began a home run derby competition.  Each manager selected his three best power hitters, with Ontiveros representing Venezuela by himself, any home runs he hit being multiplied by three.  Team USA manager Franciscus chose Darryl Butler from Pennsylvania, Hal Johnson from California, and Jay Yoakum to represent the Americans.  The home run derby came down to a second-round tiebreaker between Team USA and the Cañoneros, with the Cañoneros ultimately coming out on top of the Americans, avenging somewhat their earlier rain-shortened tournament loss.

At the team farewell/awards dinner poolside on Sunday evening, outfielder Jim Goff of Iowa was named Best Defense owing to his error-free play for the tournament, including several nice running catches.  Best Offense went to Bill Hensler, the only lefty on the team and another Pennsylvanian, as Bill batted a very impressive .909 for the tournament.  Hal Johnson from California at 73 years of age hit three home runs, batted .875, and played three different defensive positions, earning him Most Valuable Player.

To see photos from the Caribbean Classic, please CLICK HERE.

For players interested in participating in the Caribbean Classic in 2021, please be on the lookout for more information later on in the year.

First Place!

Team USA