BANGOR – What began on an entirely forgettable note turned into one of the most memorable experiences in the lives of all 14 members of Curacao’s Senior League team.

Thanks to a remarkable transformation from talented, but mistake-prone to talented and simply terrific over a six-day period, team Curacao can now simply call itself Senior League World Series champion.

After opening the Series by committing seven errors, stealing no bases, and losing a two-run lead in the final inning for an 11-5 loss, Curacao capped a five-game win streak by committing just one error, swiping five bases, taking advantage of six errors with six unearned runs, and posting a come-from-behind 8-4 victory over Boynton Beach, Fla., Saturday.

Curacao rallied back from a 4-0 deficit before a crowd of approximately 1,400 fans on another bright and blistering afternoon at Mansfield Stadium to win the island nation’s first-ever world championship at any youth baseball league level.

One of the few constants for the Latin American champs all through the Senior League World Series was pitching, but even that was no exception to the vice-versa nature of Curacao’s comeback.

Boynton Beach’s free-swinging batters collected four hits, two walks and four runs on Smith, who was replaced by Flannery Cosster with one out and runners at first and second in the second inning.

Cosster gave up back-to-back RBI singles, but finally staunched the bleeding by getting a flyout and groundout to leave runners stranded at first and second.

Cosster, who had pitched one inning in the Series before Saturday, relied on his fastball and used it effectively as he limited Boynton Beach to three more hits over his next 4 1/3 innings of scoreless relief.

“I wasn’t nervous. I was sure of myself. I was throwing too hard at first. Then I got more comfortable,” said the righthander. “I changed speeds on my fastball and it worked well. I think I throw like five curves all game.”

While Cosster used speed to hold Boynton Beach batters in check, his teammates were using it to harry the fielders into uncharacteristic mistakes.

“Since two games ago, I told them what you’re going to do now is run,” said Curacao manager Norval Faneyte, who may as well have used a green flag to flash signals to his baserunners. “Let the catcher try to stop us from running. If they don’t, we keep on running. Put on the pressure and let the guys throw the ball around.”

That’s exactly what Curacao’s runners and Boynton’s fielders, respectively, did as Curacao stole three bases in the bottom of the second inning and helped provoke five errors for five unearned runs.

Arshwin Asjes started the track meet by slicing a liner down the right field line and opting to try to stretch his hit into a double. The big first baseman appeared dead at second base, but the throw squirted out of the shortstop’s glove for the first error of the inning. A hit batter and a strikeout later, Sevaed Seferina’s grounder to third was fielded cleanly for a potential inning-ending double play, but the throw to second was wide right. The error allowed a run to score and put runners at the corners. After a Seferina steal of second and a strikeout, Smith stepped to the plate with a chance at redemption.

“I tried to do my best, but I could not throw the ball over the plate,” said Smith. “So I was concentrating on the plate because I wanted a hit.”

Smith worked the count to 2-2 before slapping the next pitch just over second into shallow center for a two-run single.

“I got a curveball outside and down,” he said. “I was looking for inside curveball, but I caught it with my bat.”

Smith wasn’t done yet as he stole second, went to third on an overthrow by the catcher, and scored as the center fielder’s throw to third went into the Boynton Beach dugout. Boynton Beach’s nightmare inning concluded after Sharlon Schoop was hit by a pitch, stole second, and then scored on a shortstop fielding error.

Curacao added insurance runs in the third on Hainley Statia’s leadoff walk, Rubinet Koko’s two-out triple to right, and a wild relay throw to third allowing Koko to score. The scoring was capped in the fourth on Schoop’s one-out single, a stolen base, and Jair Jurrjens’ two-out RBI double.

Boynton’s defensive meltdown obscured a solid pitching performance by Luis Maldonado, who threw 70 of his 120 pitches for strikes, struck out eight batters, and walked one.

“We watched them and noticed how they beat teams,” said the lefthander, who lowered his ERA from 3.00 to 2.50 with a six-hitter. “They did it with walks, hit batters, steals and errors and we told ourselves we wouldn’t do that.

“That team is a real good bunch of guys and they are fast. They’re really good… That’s all I have to say.”

Curacao winds up 12-2 while Boynton Beach finishes a season in which it won its first sectional, state, and U.S. regional (South) titles at 18-3.

“I just wanted to win sectionals. We’re a lot further along then what our goal was, but coming in today, believe me, we wanted to win it,” said Boynton manager Danny Wilson. “We’ve never been here before in the 45 years of our program so I’m proud of the guys and how far they took us.”

CURACAO 8, BOYNTON BEACH, FLA. 4

Boynton Beach (4-2) Curacao (5-1)

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Orr, c 4 2 2 1 Schoop, 2b 2 2 0

Griffiths, cf 3 0 1 1 Jurrjens, 3b-p 2 0

Owens, 3b 2 0 1 1 a-Obispo 1 1 1

Vento, 1b 4 0 1 0 Statia, ss 2 1 0

Maldonado, p 4 0 1 1 Asjes, 1b 3 0 0

Howard, ss 4 0 1 0 Cosster, rf-p 1 1 0

b-Herring 1 0 0 0 c-Martis 1 0 0

Arena, 2b 3 0 0 0 Koko, cf 2 1 1

d-Wilson 0 0 0 0 e-Walle 1 0 0 0

Souza, lf 3 1 2 0 Seferina, c 2 1 0

Meaney, lf 0 0 0 0 f-Offerman 1 0 0

Wright, rf 2 1 0 0 Reigina, lf 2 0 0

Smith, p-rf-3b 3 1 1 2

g-Fornerino 1 0 0 0

Totals 30 4 9 4 Totals 24 8 6 4

a-ran for Asjes in second, doubled for Jurrjens in fourth; b-ran for Howard in first, flied out for Meaney in fifth; c-flied out for Cosster in fifth; d-walked for Arena in seventh; e-struck out for Koko in fifth; f-struck out for Reigina in sixth; g-struck out for Seferina in sixth

Boynton Beach 130 000 0 ? 4

Curacao 052 100 x ? 8

E? Howard 2, Orr, Griffiths, Arena; Jurrjens; LOB? Boynton Beach 11; Curacao 1; 2B? Souza; Obispo; 3B? Koko; DP? Statia-Schoop-Asjes; SB? Seferina, Smith, Schoop 2, Statia

Boynton Beach IP H R ER BB SO

Maldonado (L, 1-1) 7 6 8 2 1 8

Curacao IP H R ER BB SO

Smith 1 1/3 4 4 4 2 0

Cosster (W, 1-0) 5 5 0 0 4 3

Jurrjens (S,1) 2/3 0 0 0 0 1

HBP? Coster by Maldonado, Schoop by Maldonado; PB? Seferina; T? 2:02; ATT? 1,400 (est.)