The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstiubbs@tribunemedia.net

DESPITE suffering an injury to his left hamstring in the first inning, Alcott Forbes managed to work through the pain to complete the game on the mound for the pennant winning CS Hitmen.

His five-hitter with nine strikeouts, along with outfielders Martin Burrows Jr and Courtney Smith's two-run single, each helped to propel the Hitmen to a 6-4 win over the defending champions Commando Security Truckers.

With the win on Saturday night in the Banker's Field at the Baillou Hills Sporting Complex, the Hitmen took a 1-0 lead in the New Providence Softball Association men's best-of-seven championship series.

Game two is scheduled for 8:30pm tonight, but Forbes said he just wanted to make sure that he got the Hitmen off to the initial lead in the series.

"It's all about heart. When I look at the structure of this team, I'm the leader. When you lead such a group of good guys, you have to understand that you have to overcome these adversities," Forbes said.

"Thank God we came out on top. I have a few days to nurse it, but they will see me again on Tuesday."

Forbes, batting in the clean-up position in their potent line-up, had walked to load the bases in the top of the first inning. When he reached third on a two-run single from Burrows Jr, he suffered the injury to his left leg.

However, after manager Darren Stevens brought in Zachary Rahming to pinch run for him, Forbes managed to walk back out on the mound to finish the job. It was obvious that he was in pain, but the Truckers didn't take much advantage of it by challenging him with the bunt.

Although he gave up two more runs to the Truckers in the second inning, Forbes got into a groove the rest of the game, ending up with four scoreless innings, including striking out the side in order in the seventh to secure the win.

"The game plan is just to keep on pressing," said Forbes, who ended up tossing a five-hitter with nine strike outs. "Last year we fell short after going up 2-0 and they came back for a backdoor sweep. We understand that it ain't over until it's over.

"We can't take the Truckers for light. They are a good ball club, so come next game, we have to keep on winning."

Smith, who previously played with the Truckers before he signed a deal to play briefly in the Dominican Republic on a professional baseball contract, produced his two-run single to plate Burrows Jr and Philip Johnson after they got on an error and singled to start the fourth.

That tied the score at 4-4.

It stayed that way until the sixth when with one out, catcher Jordan Gibson singled and shortstop Dino Sweeting reached safely on an error and Smith was hit by a pitch to load the bases, center fielder Rodney Forbes got to first on a fielder's choice as D'Kyle Rolle, pinch running for Jordan, came home with the winning run on an error.

Second baseman Richard Bain flied out to left field, but it was good enough to send Sweeting home with the insurance run.

All of that came off losing pitcher Thomas Davis, who admitted that they didn't play up to par.

"We had some lil errors in the sixth inning that cost us," he lamented. "We have to fight harder now because we lost the first one.

"But we have our offense clicking now, so we just have to come out with our bats again and I can get the ball again. I believe we have the ability to beat this team again."

Thomas did his part. He finished with a five-hitter with 12 strike outs, including fanning the side in the third and fourth innings.

In scoring their first two runs in the first inning, the Truckers took advantage of some costly mistakes by the Hitmen's catcher Jordan Gibson as both Garfield Bethel and left fielder Angelo Watson singled and came home on a couple of miscues.

Their two other runs in the third were similar as right fielder Winston Seymour singled and Bethel got on with an error and they both scampered home on a few more miscues.

From there, the Truckers only got any runners on base in the sixth. With two out shortstop Stephen Russell Jr got on with an error and Davis was intentionally walked, but they were left stranded as Forbes got second baseman Gee Bethel to pop up.

While game two is tonight, game three is set for Thursday and game four on Saturday.