Playing St. Johns in the final in Camalote we were down 9-6 with one last inning to win our first ever National title in ANY sport when Alex Roache started off the rally with a 320 foot home run. After Hugo singles, he is thrown out stealing before we loaded the bases after tying the game.Our MVP Rabba drove in our second baseman Coco with the winning run in walk off fashion. We at International Sports Outreach thank Coach Marion and the entire SPHS staff and players for allowing us to help coach the last two years and be a small part of history on the Caye's.David & Jo Nisbet International Sports Outreach San Pedro

SPHS Male Softball Team are National Champions

The San Pedro High School (SPHS) male softball team on Saturday March 17th, were named, 2012′s National High School Softball Competition champions. It’s a historic win for the SPHS, who for the first time ever, have won a national championship in any sporting discipline. The team won its qualifying game on Friday March 16th, which allotted them a spot in the championship game the following day. On Saturday afternoon, the boys managed to win and bring the coveted title to the island. The SPHS Male Softball Team represented the north of the country having won the Northern Regional competition earlier this year.

According to the Coach of the team Marion Mejia, when the team arrived at the May Garden Field in Belmopan, all eyes were fixed on the trophy. “Our team went up first against the Western Regional Champions – The Belmopan Baptist High School; and that was a blow out game,” said Mejia. The blow out game ended in a score of 13 to 1 runs with the star pitcher being Charles Richards from the SPHS.

In recollecting the championship game Mejia bragged, “In the finals, we faced St. Johns College who had previously won against Independence High School. The final game was a real competitive game and was a back-and-forth but in the end SPHS team managed to pull a walk-off win.” According to Mejia, one of the key performances in the championship game was that of Alex Roache, who batted a home run sending three team members home and closing the gap for the SPHS team. Following Roaches’ spectacular performance in the game, Charles Richard batted in Luis Pinelo for the winning run to end the game in a walk-off victory. In the end the team won by a score of 10 to 9 runs, in a game that was played close to the very end.

Mejia has been the coach of the SPHS Male Softball Team for five years. In 2011, the team came close to qualifying for the championship, placing fourth at the national level. According to Mejia, the team prepared themselves for the past six months gearing up for the nationals. An emotional Mejia told the team at a special school assembly that, “you made my dream come through and you guys made me the proudest person.” He added that “Every time I did the roster, I found it difficult because it was like being between a rock and a high place. All of you (team members) have risen to the occasion when there is a need to do so.”

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