The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

THE front running Sigma Wildcats and the Sting Truckers pulled off impressive victories in their respective ladies and men’s games Saturday night in the marquee showdowns against the second place teams in the New Providence Softball Association.

The Wildcats had to come from behind for a 10-7 decision over the Sigma Bracketts in the ladies’ opener in the Bankers Field at the Baillou Hills Sporting Complex, while the Truckers stopped the BTC Elite Warriors 14-1 in four innings via the 10-run rule in the men’s feature encounter.

Truckers 14, Warriors 1

Thomas Davis was as stingy as he could be, limiting BTC to just three hits with 10 strike outs to help propel his team to another victory as they pushed their league leading men’s record to 14-2. The loss dropped the Warriors to 9-5 for second place.

“I felt it was good, even though I thought it was going to be a shut out,” Davis said. “Pappi came up and hit a solo shot. I don’t know what went wrong there.”

Davis was referring to the lead off solo homer on the first pitch to Eric ‘Pappi’ Johnson in the top of the fourth inning to break up the shutout.

“I think he knew that pitch was coming because he always looks for it. I struck him out on a change up, so I think he knew it was coming. I threw a fast ball inside and he got all of it,” Davis said. “But we are still performing very well. I just hope we can keep it up going into the playoffs.”

With Davis only allowing four BTC batters to get on base, including Jordan Gibson, who walked twice and Anthon Rolle, who got the first hit - a one-out single in the third - his team-mates batted around the clock in all three innings they went to the plate, coming up with six runs on four hits in the first and four runs on five hits in both the second and third off losing pitcher Avery Rolle in the abbreviated victory.

Olando ‘Smithy’ McPhee sparked the first inning with a three-run home run after Teran Wood had a RBI single, Garfield Bethel led the second with a RBI double, followed by a RBI single from Marvin ‘Tougie’ Wood, a RBI single from Jamal ‘Sarge’ Johnson and a RBI sacrifice fly from Eugene Pratt and Bethel had a two-rum homer and McPhee a two-run single in the third.

The Warriors were missing a couple key players in outfielder Sherman Ferguson, infielder Richard Bain and pitcher Cardinal Gilbert as they suffered their second loss in three nights. All three players sat out after the 14-13 loss to the Arnette’s Sporting Hitmen on Thursday in which Ferguson and Bain got into an altercation with Angelo Dillette and Gilbert was frustrated by the calls of illegal pitches.

“I feel pretty good about our team, despite the two losses,” said BTC’s manager Eric Adderley. “We came out very sluggish and that can be attributed to all of the going ons in the league, especially with our team. But take nothing from it, I think Thomas pitched a good game and they hit the ball very well tonight. Hats off to them.”?

Wildcats 10, Bracketts 6

Vornetta Nairn and Dorsett Edwards highlighted a four-run fifth inning with a two-run double and a run-producing triple as one Sigma sponsored team rallied from a 7-4 deficit to pull off the win over the other Sigma sponsored team.?

The rally by the Wildcats came after ace Mary ‘Cruise’ Sweeting came in relief for starter Michelle Moss in the third inning to hold the Bracketts bats in check. The Bracketts had opened a 5-2 lead as they took advantage of Moss. But for the remainder of the game, they only managed to score two more runs in the fifth off Sweeting.?

“This one was pretty good. We were off for almost two weeks, but we bounced back. I didn’t have any practice, but I just went out there and threw the ball. I wasn’t all out, but I think I did a pretty good job,” said Sweeting, who finished with a two-hitter with six strike outs for the win.?

The Wildcats, behind the 2-for-4 plate appearances from Maryann Ferguson, Vornetta Nairn and Dornette Edwards, improved their league leading win-loss record to 15-1, while the Bracketts dropped to 11-6 to remain in second place.?

“We are basically just going out there to practice and get ready for the playoffs,” Sweeting stated. “Come playoffs, we expect a few of our players to be missing, so we are trying to work out a strategy to see how well we can do with what we have.”?

And although she had to come in from first base to pitch, Sweeting said it was good to get to see Moss get in some workouts in the first two innings.

Moss, a high school sensation from St Augustine’s College, gave up two runs - one unearned - and another two unearned in the first and second innings before Sweeting came in to close the door.?

“It’s good for me every now and again to either watch or play first base,” Sweeting said. “But if I have to go into the game, I will be ready to go.”?

While Sweeting got the job done on the mound, Edwards led off a two-run fourth inning with a single and scored on a shot from Sweeting to left that she was credited with a single and a three-base fielding error that enabled the Wildcats to tie at the game 4-4.?

Shervette Taylor, who ignited their early run with a RBI single and run scored in their three-run top of the first inning, touched Sweeting for a lead off single and she scored on Amarige Taylor’s one-out RBI triple before Shena Taylor knocked in Amarige Taylor with a one-out RBI ground out to put the Bracketts up 6-4.?

In the fifth with one out, the Wildcats came up with four runs on three hits of losing pitcher Ernestine Stubbs to take the lead for good. Candice Smith led off with an error to first, Ferguson singled and Nairn drove them both home on her double. Edward then ripped a shot to right for a RBI triple, plating Nairn and she came home on an error after she was given a triple.?

Up 8-7, going into the sixth, the Wildcats got two more unearned runs from Melissa Hall and Lashanda Bethel to seal the deal.?

Stubbs gave up 11 hits and struck out just two for the loss.?