The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@troibunemedia.net

The pennant winning Proper Care Pool Lady Sharks came up with one explosive offensive inning in the fifth and they got two great defensive efforts in the sixth and seventh as they held off the Sigma Brackettes to cut the New Providence Softball Association women’s best-of-seven championship series to 3-2.

Game six is scheduled to be played 7pm Saturday and, if necessary, the seventh and deciding game will be played on Tuesday.

Game five of the men’s series between the pennant winning Arnette’s Sporting Lounge Hitmen and the Andre Gardiner Construction Buccaneers was played last night as well, but no results were available up to press time.

Although they are still trailing in the ladies’ series, Proper Care Pool’s left fielder Keisha Miller said they are still capable of winning the next two games.

“We just need to keep the bats alive and play tight defence and we can win,” she said. “We are going to fight right to the end. We want to come back and win another championship again.”

Trailing 1-0 going into the top of the fifth, Daria Cambridge got the rally going for the Lady Sharks with a single, stole second and raced home on Lashonda Bethel’s RBI single to even the score at 1-1.

Bethel then moved to second on an error and scored Proper Care Pools’ second run on Tericka Munroe’s RBI single. Munroe stole second and after Marissa Burrows was intentionally walked, a passed ball put them both in scoring positions at third and second respectively.

Miller then hit a chopper up the middle for a two-run single, plating Munroe and Burrows to extend their lead to 4-1 as Vonetta Nairn popped up to the end the rally.

The Brackettes came back in the sixth to score two more runs to trim the deficit to 4-3.

Zella Symonette walked to lead off and Shervette Taylor’s double put her on third. Ruthann Simms produced a RBI sacrifice fly to drive home Symonette and the margin was split in half at 4-2.

Ann Bullard, replacing Theola Williams, had a run-producing single to send Taylor home and Kenese Symonette singled to move Bullard to second.

But as Ashanti Darville flied out to Miller in left field, Bullard was doubled up as she couldn’t return to second in time.

And in the seventh, Tonia Bowleg led with a walk and after she stole second on the Brackettes’ second out, Nairn scooped up a grounder by Zella Symonette and got the throw to first in time for the game ending play.

Alex Gabriel went the distance, firing a five-hitter with five strike outs. Ernestine Butler-Stubbs got the loss as she too surrendered five hits with four strike outs.

Brackettes’ manager Mario Ford said they are still confident that they can win.

“We didn’t capitalise when we needed to,” he said. “We hit into a couple double plays tonight, but we just need to put the ball in play and not leave too many runners on base. If we continue to do that, we will continue to lose the game.

“This is the championship and in order to win, we have to play much better defence and hit the ball. We just have to come back Saturday and do what we need to do to win.”