Henderson team wins tourney in Puerto Rico

Kevin Ferguson

Friday, Aug. 1, 1997 | 10:48 a.m.

The Nevada Scorpions, comprised of Henderson 9- and 10-year-olds, swept a five-game baseball tournament in Puerto Rico that ended Monday.

Scorpion catcher Daniel Medrano said the trip was a great experience.

"I had a fun time," Medrano said. "The Puerto Rican kids were very nice. It wasn't as big a culture shock as I thought it would be."

The Scorpions' opponents were two local teams, San German and Sabana Grande. Two of the Scorpions' victories were shutouts.

"It was a competitive tournament," said Scorpion assistant coach Rudy Medrano. "Our kids just played really hard to surpass them."

Most of the local players spoke very little English, if any at all. Puerto Rico is a U.S. commonwealth in the Caribbean dominated by Spanish-speakers.

"We quickly learned to communicate through other means, such as (unofficial) sign language," Medrano said. "They (Puerto Rican players) taught me some Spanish."

The tournament began July 24 and the games were all held during the day. At night, the Puerto Rican families treated the Henderson players and their entourage to home-cooked meals.

One night, they organized a dance for the players and the local school girls.

Scorpion head coach David Soto organized the tournament. He was raised in Puerto Rico and has been teaching junior-high English in Henderson for the past six years.

Rudy Medrano said the Scorpion coaches hope to keep their team together for at least another year.

"We'd like to invite those two teams to Henderson next year for another tournament," Medrano said.