The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

THE New Providence Softball Association’s ladies defending champions Sigma Brackettes avoided getting shutout again, but they couldn’t stop the pennant winning Sigma Wildcats’ onslaught as they pulled off another abbreviated victory.

On Saturday night in the Banker’s Field at the Baillou Hills Sporting Complex, the Wildcats blew out the Brackettes 12-2 in five innings to snatch a 2-0 lead in their Carl ‘Bang Bang’ Johnson’s best-of-seven championship series after winning game one 7-0 on Thursday night.

“We are playing just better than we have all season long because we are playing like a much better team,” said Wildcats’ catcher Dornette Edwards. “We picked up some players to fill in some slots for us and everybody is playing very comfortable in their positions.

“Everything is coming together at this time, so I am looking for us to take them in four straight.”

The Wildcats, managed by Anthony Bullard and coached by Spurgeon Johnson, didn’t waste anytime in getting off to a fast start against the Brackettes as they scored three runs on just one hit in the top of the first inning, sparked by a RBI fly by Edwards and a RBI single by Vantrice Bowleg.

In the second, they extended their lead to 9-0 with six more runs on one hit again in the second. This time, they capitalised on a number of costly mistakes by the Wildcats to blow the game wide open.

The Brackettes, managed by Mario Ford and coached by Michael Moss, finally scored their first run of the series in the bottom of the frame as Ruthann Simms led off with a walk and eventually came home on Shena Taylor’s run-producing ground out for a 3-1 deficit.

The Wildcats tacked on two more runs in the third on four hits as Lashanda Bethel, Mechelle Moss and Candice Smith got the first three on singles to load the bases. Batting champion Jeanette Hilton had a RBI single and Dornette Edwards a RBI walk that scored Bethel and Moss respectively to extend their lead to 11-1.

The Brackettes responded in the third with the bases loaded with Ruthann Simms, Theola Williams and Amarige Taylor getting hit by a wild pitch, an error and a single. Shena Taylor’s RBI ground out kicked in Simms for an 11-2 deficit.

That resulted in the Wildcats coming back in the fourth to scored the extra run on Bethel’s RBI single that plated Latrell Dorsette, who had come in to pinch run for Sweeting after she led off with a single.

Sweeting came back in the fourth and got one out, hit Zella Symonette with a pitch and left her stranded on base as she was able to retire the side to end the game.

“We’re making too many errors. Errors are killing us. If we can capitalise on the errors that they are making, we can come back,” said Brackette’s catcher Ruthann Simms. “But we are making too many errors on simple plays that should be outs and that is killing the team.”

As they prepare for game three 7pm Tuesday, Simms said they are looking forward to turning the series around. “We have to believe in ourselves. As a team we have to believe. It can’t just be one or two persons,” she said. “It has to be everybody as a unit. There’s no doubt in my mind that the Brackettes can come back.”