18-Grip Shield Glory Days

The Caribbean Tigres (Stars) rallied for six runs in the top of the ninth, but fell short in the 18AAA championship game of the NABA World Championship Series in Phoenix, Arizona, losing to the San Diego Stars 10-8 at Ho Ho Kam Stadium in Mesa, spring home of the Chicago Cubs. The Tigres were coming off a tough, 11-inning 6-5 semifinal win over the Santa Ana Cerveceros at the Maryvale Complex in Phoenix, spring home of the Milwaukee Brewers. The San Diego team was also coming off an extra inning win, 9-8, over the Casa Grande (AZ) Cotton Kings, also at Maryvale. The Tigres fell behind 6-1 on a Stars' controversial home run in the bottom of the sixth inning, and it was costly. Juan Colon was ejected from the game for unsportsmanlike conduct at that point, making physical contact with the home plate umpire in trying to argue that the home run ball was actually foul. After posting an 8th inning run on an RBI single by Melvin Bruno, the Tigres fell almost completely apart in the Stars' 8th. They committed three errors, allowing four runs, two of them unearned. Trailing 10-2, the Tigres put on a furious rally in their final at bat. Ramon Bautista doubled and scored on a single by his brother Juan. Pedro Liriano, who had doubled in the first run in the first inning, singled, followed by back to back singles by Eduardo Figueroa and Jose Taveras. After one out, Juan Veras singled in a run and Christian Taboas doubled home two more before the fourth San Diego pitcher of the inning, got the final two outs. So, the Tigres, who won the 2005 World Championship Series, finished second in the tournament's toughest division in only their first attempt in 18AAA. They wound up 5-1, counting pool play and the semifinal victory, and 5-2 overall with the title game loss. San Diego manager Bobby Allison, who has managed teams here at the Phoenix tournament since NABA's inaugural year of 1992 and won his first ever championship. Winning pitcher Jose Trujillo was selected as the Championship Game MVP, and third baseman Jorge Camarillo took Gold Glove honors. Carlos Gonzalez was the losing pitcher, going the first six innings before yielding to Juan Prado for the final three. OTHER TOURNAMENT BRIEFS Vernon Wells, Sr., father of the Toronto Blue Jays' outfielder, Vernon Wells, is playing here in the Over 48 division of the tournament which concludes this Saturday. Former Baltimore Oriole Don Buford, who managed the 2006 Daytona Cubs in the Florida State League, is playing with the Over 28 Denver Bears. His sons, Donnie, now an orthopedic surgeon after a career in the minor leagues, and Damon, who did make it to the big leagues, are on the same Denver squad. The elder Buford, now 68, pitched three innings, two of them shutout frames. An error set up the four runs he gave up in the third inning. Buford, who played in three World Series' with the Baltimore Orioles (1969, lost to the Mets; 1970, beat the Cincinnati Reds; 1971, lost to the Pittsburgh Pirates) was award the Tournament GAME MVP award by his Denver Bears teammates.