The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

VERSATILE Garfield Bethel knew that once he was inserted into the line-up Saturday night, he had to make his presence felt for the Commando Security Truckers.

With an injury to Eugene Pratt as he headed to third in the bottom of the fourth, Bethel got his chance to play and he grounded out to Chances Mighty Mitts’ ace pitcher Victor Grant in his first at-bat in the sixth. But with the score tied 8-8 in the bottom of the seventh, Bethel ripped a 2-2 pitch from Grant for a one-out grand slam home run that resulted in the Truckers rolling to a 12-8 walk-off-the-field victory.

The win kept the Truckers in second place in the men’s division at 15-4 as the New Providence Softball Association’s regular season gets closer to winding down. The loss dropped the Mighty Mitts in fourth place at 8-12.

“Being one of the senior ball players on the team, I knew I had a job to do and I tried to stay focused,” said Bethel, who watched as mainly the younger players for the Truckers started the game. “It’s a good momentum for us going into the playoffs.”

While the men’s pennant has virtually been secured by the front running BTC Elite Warriors, who are 16-2, the ladies’ league title will go right down to the wire after the Johnson Lady Truckers were too much for the Black Scorpions to handle in their 12-2 abbreviated one-hour opener. The Truckers are now evened with the Sunshine Auto Wildcats at 13-5 and the Bommer G Lady Operators are right on their heels at 11-6 in third place.

• Here’s a summary of the two matches played Saturday night:

Truckers 12, Mighty Mitts 8

Having beaten the Commando Security before, Chances had another golden opportunity to pull off another win, but they made a costly mistake in the fifth that opened the door to allow the more experienced Truckers to get their motor into high gear.

Coach Darrel Drosette came in, unannounced, to pinch hit and after the Truckers protested, he along with manager Alphonso ‘Chicken’ Albury got ejected. At the time, the Mighty Mitts were tied at 6-6. The Mighty Mitts went on to load the bases, but couldn’t score.

In the sixth, Michel Bethel belted a shot to right field and was credited with a single and advanced to third on an error to lead off and eventually scored on a wild pitch to put Chances up 7-6.

That was short lived as Marion Johnson drew a lead off walk in the bottom of the frame and with one-out scored on a RBI sacrifice fly from Olando McPhee.

Again, Chances went up, 8-7 this time, in the seventh as Mileeke Inniss opened up with a walk, stole second and scored on Martin Conliffe’s one-out RBI sacrifice fly.

But like the sixth, Commando Security struck again with Diego Hutchinson and Thomas Davis getting on base on back-to-back walks from Grant, who loaded the bases as Peron Rolle beat out a bunt. Another walk to Lamar Watkins enabled Hutchinson to score to tie the score, reloading the bases for Bethel with one-out.

All Bethel did was take advantage of a fast ball from Grant that he knocked deep over the left-centrefield fence for the walk-off-the-field grand slam.

“I knew I just had to wait patiently for the right pitch to hit,” Bethel said. “It feels good to get a grand slam like that for the win.”

Chances had taken a 5-1 lead into the third after Michael Ingraham got a RBI sacrifice fly for one of their two runs in the first inning and sparked a three-run second with his three-run double.

The Truckers, however, came back in the third with five big runs, highlighted by Peron Rolle’s RBI hit by pitch and Lamar Walkine’s two-run single, all with two out, as they batted around the clock.

Veteran Leroy Thompson went the distance for the win on the mound after he threw a nine-hitter with six strike outs. Victor Grant only surrendered six hits, but the big one did the damage in the seventh. He also struck out 10, including the side in order in the first inning.

Truckers 12, Scorpions 2

This one was over as soon as it got started as Johnson’s Lady Truckers came up with four runs in the first and seven more in the second for their easy win. They added another in the third for good measure.

Shervette Taylor went 2-for-3 with three RBI and two runs scored, Latonia Bowleg was also 2-for-3 with two runs scored, Shaquel Smith, also 2-for-3, had a RBI and scored three runs, Jaquana Ferguson was 2-for-2 with a RBI and two runs scored and Krystal Delancy was 1-for-2 with a run scored.

Ferguson was the winning pitcher, giving up two hits with three strike outs and the only two runs to the Scorpions in the second before she was relieved by Dawanya Pratt in the third. Pratt came out striking out the first batter she faced and went on to retire the six batters she faced.

Princess Mullings and Theresa Kennedy both were 1-for-2, scoring the only two runs for the Scorpions in the second. Anita Moss gave up 10 hits in picking up the loss.