The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

Starting pitcher Thomas Davis cracked a two-run homerun to tie the score at 3-3 in the sixth inning, but relief pitcher Eugene Pratt's run-producing single with the bases loaded in the seventh propelled the Commando Security Truckers to a 5-4 victory over the defending champions C&S Hitmen.

In what came down to a pitcher's duel in one of the most exciting men's games played this year in the New Providence Softball Association, the Truckers' victory enabled them to even their best-of-seven championship series against the Hitmen at 1-1 last night in the Banker's Field at the Baillou Hills Sporting Complex.

"Tonight it was all about who wanted it more. The game is all about hits, runs and errors. Fortunately, like basketball, it bounced our way tonight," said centre fielder Lamar Watkins, a pretty good guard on the basketball court, who had predicted that they would bounce back after losing game one on Saturday night.

The Truckers, who got the first run of the game in the third on Watkins' RBI single that plated designated player Olando McPhee, saw Davis rip a 1-2 pitch from Alcott Forbes deep over the left field fence to pick up Pratt from first on his walk to tie the score at 3-3 in the sixth.

After Thomas' shot, Watkins said he felt like the game was over.

"Like the first game, our pitcher got into trouble, walked in a couple of runs, but we were able to bounce back and win tonight," he stated.

And as the Hitmen got back into the game, going up 4-3 in the seventh, Watkins said they got a little concerned. But they had the last laugh, taking the game down to the wire with the bases loaded to set the stage for Pratt, who drove the ball into left-centre field to knock in Watkins to seal the deal.

Before Watkins scored, the Truckers got second baseman Stephen Russell on base on a walk, Watkins reached on an error before Russell evenually came home on another. Left fielder Angelo Watson and catcher Garfield Bethel both followed with back-to-back singles to load the bases for Pratt as they now look ahead to game three on Thursday night.

"This was very important. We didn't want to go down 2-0. Now it's like a fresh start. Hopefully we can get the next one on Thursday," he projected.

Forbes went the distance and he suffered the loss on a six hitter with 13 strike outs as well.

The Hitmen, who lost manager Darren Stevens to an ejection for unsportsmanlike conduct in the seventh, didn't score their first run until the top of the sixth when centre fielder Rodney Forbes, who led off with a walk, eventually came home on an error.

They got their final three runs in the seventh as third baseman Rashad Seymour, Forbes and second baseman Philip Johnson all got on base on a free pass and came home on a few miscues by the Truckers.

Thomas Davis held the Hitmen to just one hit with 13 strike outs before he loaded the bases, only to be relieved by Pratt.

Angelo Dillet said the fans certainly got their money's worth right to the very end. "No one is going to give anything to you. That is a good indication of what a championship game should be like," he said.

"We had some opportunities, but we didn't capitalise on them early in the game. It probably would have made a difference later. But it is what it is."

Although they watched as Davis connected on his shot to tie the game, Dillet said it gave his Hitmen the opportunity to show their true colours.

"We're a veteran team. We've been here before," he insisted.

"So going down late in the game is not going to cause us to roll over and play dead. We're going to fight until the last at bat. No matter what the score is, we're going to go all the way through."

When it counted the most, Dillet said C&S ran into a couple of factors that resulted in the final outcome, but he's confident that they will bounce back and take care of business on Thursday night.

"It's a new series. We're still the better team. We're still the experienced team. We've been here before," he charged.

"We just have to get together, look at the things we didn't do right, make the adjustments and come out," he added.