2019 Africa Cup Baseball Championship

The 2019 African Championship was held from May 1 to May 5 in South Africa. It was the 5th African Championship but first in 18 years. There were three regional qualifiers leading up to it, starting in March 2019 in Ghana with ones in Kenya and South Africa in April. Burkina Faso was the first team to qualify, followed by Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, South Africa and Zimbabwe. Nigeria and Kenya, though, withdrew before the Championship began. The winner, South Africa, advanced to the 2019 Europe-Africa Qualifier for the 2020 Olympics in September 2019 to face the top five teams from the 2019 European Championship.

May 1[edit]

Zimbabwe 11, Burkina Faso 5. Cliff Vint and Hloniphani Ngulube do the pitching duties as Zimbabwe wins.
South Africa 18, Uganda 0. The host are dominant as Robert Lewis-Walker and Lloyd Stevens allow no runner past 2nd. Rowan Ebersohn's 3-run homer off Allan Kabenge in the first got things going.

Uganda 15, Zimbabwe 0. Uganda bounces back big-time with a five-inning mercy rule win. Bernard Adei and 16-year-old Nicholas Alumai combine on a no-hitter while 2B Bernard Okello doubles in the first runs off Nelson Mapika in the 1st.
South Africa 18, Burkina Faso 3. Burkina Faso is the first team to score off South Africa this year (either in the Championship or Qualifier), tagging Dean Jacobs for three in the first, but can't contain the home team's hitters; SS Jonathan Phillips starts the comeback with a two-run dinger.

South Africa 16, Zimbabwe 1. South Africa has their second straight 15-run victory to finish the round-robin at 3-0. Kieran Cree and Damon Mitchell hold Zimbabwe to one hit.
Uganda 21, Burkina Faso 15. Burkina Faso gave Uganda a scare but fell in a slugfest as Uganda finished 2nd in the round-robin, Burkina Faso last. SS Bernard Okello went 3 for 5 while reliever Jerry Omara got the win on his 15th birthday.

South Africa 16, Burkina Faso 5. C Kyle Botha hits a 3-run homer in a 9-run first and LF Rowan Ebersohn homers twice for the hosts in a 7-inning mercy rule win. Kevin Townend fanned six in three hitless innings before Burkina Faso scored off Damon King in the 4th. 2B Lassina Sanfo homered for Burkina Faso.
Uganda 21, Zimbabwe 5. Uganda gets a mercy rule five-inning rout, chasing Cliff Vint as all six batters he faced reached (4 H, 2 BB). Bernard Adei got the win.

South Africa 27, Uganda 0. In the finale, South Africa pulls off its biggest romp of the tourney to win it all. The team outhit Uganda 24-0 in the finale. C Kyle Botha hit a 3-run homer off starter Allan Kabenge and 2B Charl Cordier added a grand slam off Bernard Adei later. Jared Elario fanned 8 while allowing only two baserunners (BB, HB).
Zimbabwe 17, Burkina Faso 16. Burkina Faso again showed good firepower but fell just short in their first African Championship as Zimbabwe beat them for 3rd in a game that took 11 innings. SS Witness Muzire drove in the winner off Hamidou Kafando. Nathaniel Kutsanza got the win and 3B Sherperd Sibanda hit a 3-run homer. Burkina Faso had 18 hits but their pitchers walked 10 and they made five errors.

South Africa 3B Darren Boltman was named best hitter while C Kyle Botha was named tourney MVP.