LIMA, Peru – Alabama A&M softball freshman outfielder Tatiana Roman (Garden Grove, Calif.) and sophomore pitcher Esperanza Coe (Beaumont, Calif.) anchored a Bronze Medal performance for No. 5 Puerto Rico as they capped the Under-18 Softball World Cup in Lima, Peru with a 6-2 record, the last being a 4-0 victory over Mexico.
 
Coe and Roman were among just 16 individuals representing a Puerto Rico team that faced off with – and excelled against – some of the best U-18 teams in the world. Those included No. 2 and eventual World Champion the United States, No. 6 and runner-up Chinese Taipei, No. 4 Mexico, No. 10 Netherlands, No. 13 Czech Republic, No. 30 Peru and No. 40 Columbia.
 
With the tournament format setup with seven games of round robin play, Puerto Rico earned a spot in the Bronze Medal Game by virtue of a 5-2 mark that included losses to only the USA and Chinese Taipei. Against the eventual champions, Coe would throw seven innings of shutout ball before falling by a narrow 1-0 score in eight innings.
 
Against Mexico, Coe would get it done with her bat as she fueled the offense with a 2-for-3 performance that generated three of the clubs four runs while Roman manned centerfield in the 4-0 shutout. That outing would lock up Puerto Rico's third Bronze Medal performance in the history of the tournament.
 
Over the course of eight games Coe hit .238, going 5-of-21 with a double and five RBIs and pitched to a 1.70 ERA in 12.1 innings and three appearances. Meanwhile, Roman was 7-of-22 for a .318 average, scored four runs, drove in two and slugged .500 behind a pair of triples while playing a flawless centerfield.
 
As a result of her outstanding performance against some of the top competition in the world, Roman was named the U-18 All-World Team centerfielder following the tournament.
 
The next time that Coe and Roman will take the field will be in the Maroon and White this spring as Alabama A&M embarks upon the 2022 campaign – this one with a pair of Under-18 Softball World Cup Bronze Medalists.
 
PHOTO GALLERY