By John RittenhouseChad Boom returned to his Barnesville home Friday with a Silver Medal from the Pan American Games staged in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Aug. 7 through 14.Boom, a 1987 Ellsworth High School graduate, attended the Games as a member of Team USA’s fast-pitch softball squad.Team USA went 5-3 at the event, placing second to Team Canada.Boom said his team went 4-1 during pool play at the PAG, which established the seedings for medal round of the event.Team USA beat national squads from Argentina, Mexico, Venezuela and the Dominican Republic during pool competition. The Americans lost their games against Canada.Boom’s squad earned a rematch against Canada in the first game of the medal round, but the Canadians knocked off Team USA for the second time.Team USA then beat Argentina in an elimination game before losing to Team Canada for the third time in a game for the Gold Medal.Boom said he didn’t have his best week at the plate during the PAG."I struggled a bit," he said from his home Sunday. "I think I had four or five hits and a couple of walks. I hit the ball, but nothing would go into a hole for me. That happens sometimes."Team USA may not have earned the Gold Medal, but it did accomplish something important in Santo Domingo.The PAG serve as a qualifying event of the International Softball Federation’s World Championships, which will be played in Christchurch, New Zealand, in February. The top three teams from the PAG advance to the World Championships, and Team USA is one of them."I don’t know too much about it yet, but 12 to 14 teams from all over the world will be at the tournament in New Zealand," Boom said.Boom said he will have to participate in a September try-out in California to earn a spot on the Team USA roster for the World Championships.
