By BRENT STUBBS
Senior Sports Reporter
bstubbs@tribunemedia.net
On a night when he was being honoured by the New Providence Softball Association (NPSA), manager Stephen ‘Bishop’ Beneby made sure that his pennant winning Proper Care Pool Lady Sharks didn’t spoil the show at Baillou Hills Sporting Complex.
Beneby breathed a sigh of relief with two runners in scoring position as his shortstop Vonette Nairn scooped up a grounder by Theola Williams and made the game-winning put out throw to first sacker Kelly Smith as the Lady Sharks held on for a 4-3 victory over the Sigma Brackettes.
With the win last night, the Lady Sharks trimmed their NPSA ladies’ best-of-seven championship series to 2-1, living up to third sacker Tareka Munroe’s prediction that they will bounce back.
Beneby, who along with one of his coaches Spurgeon Johnson, Sammy Heastie, Perry Seymour, Martin ‘Pork’ Burrows (the plate umpire for the game) and Anthony Bullard were honoured for their long years of service to the NPSA, was delighted to get the monkey off their back.
“It feels good. I had a talk with my rookies because when we sat down and went over the game, we realised that our rookies were making the mistakes,” he said. “They were feeling the pressure. But we’re going to take it from here.”
Proper Care Pool played like there was “no tomorrow’ as they came out aggressively and took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning as Daria Cambridge got on base on an error, moved to second on Shonte Cargill’s single and scored on a Munroe’s RBI fielder’s choice that forced Cargill out at second.
Marissa Burrows was hit by a pitch and Keisha Miller walked to load the bases, But the Brackettes’ starting pitcher left the bases loaded as she got the next two Lady Sharks out.
The Lady Sharks added their second run in the second as Rochea Morley led off with a double and after Lashanda Bethel and Debbie McClure both walked, Munroe got a RBI sacrifice fly to plate Morley.
Their third run came in the third, thanks to Miller, who led off with a walk and with the bases loaded, scored on Morley’s RBI single. They scored their final run in the sixth as Bethel reached on an error and eventually came home on another.
The Brackettes didn’t score until the fourth when Shervette Taylor opened the frame with a single and scored on Sequel Smith’s RBI single that left the bases loaded as relief pitcher Ernestine Stubbs and Latonya Bowleg both got out. They added their second run in the fifth as Ann Bullard led off with an error that put her on first.
After Zella Symonette doubled to move her to third and Taylor was intentionally walked by Alex Gabriel, Ruthann Simms got a RBI fielder’s choice to drive in Bullard.
In the seventh, the Brackettes struck for their final run as Bowleg singled to start the rally and she came home on an error before they left two runners in scoring position when Nairn robbed Williams of what had the potential to be the winning hit.
Despite the loss, Bullard said they will bounce back on Saturday night. “We came out flat and we didn’t hit the ball like we normally hit the ball and it caught up with us,” she said.
“We just have to put this game behind us and come out hitting. We are the home team and so I can guarantee you that we will be up 3-1.”
The pennant winning Arnette’s Sporting Lounge Hitmen and the Andre Gardiner Buccaneers played in the men’s feature contest but no results were available up to press time Thursday night. The Hitmen led the series 2-0. Game four in both series are set to be played Saturday night.
Comments
Use the comment form below to begin a discussion about this content.
Sign in to comment
Or login with:
OpenID