The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

IT IS not how you start, nor how you get there. Most importantly, it’s how you finish.

• The Finish Line, a weekly column, seeks to comment on the state of affairs in local sports, highlighting the highs and the lows, the thrills and the spills and the successes and failures.

THE WEEK

THAT WAS

Last week we celebrated the Johnson’s Lady Truckers, winners of the New Providence Softball Association’s 2016 ladies championship.

Today, the spotlight is on the C&S Hitmen, the new champions of the men’s division.

Just like the Lady Truckers, who swept the Sunshine Auto Wildcats in three straight games, the Hitmen put a hit out on the Commando Security Truckers and duplicated the feat.

The only difference is the Hitmen’s triumph was one of the most dramatic that has been produced in the league for quite some time.

It’s hard to remember the last time that a defending champion not only got swept, but was almost shutout in three games played in their abbreviated best-of-five series.

Winners of the first two games 8-0 and 5-0, the Hitmen came out on the weekend to complete the sweep and they did. They wanted the shutout as well, but ended up falling short.

Instead, they pulled off a 7-1 rout as ace Alcott Forbes saw his streak of shutouts go down the drain in the top of the seventh inning when Terran Wood came through with a single and after Garfield Bethel followed with another and they both advanced in scoring position on a wild pitch before Wood eventually came home on an error that boarded Olando McPhee at first.

It was one of those performances that nobody really expected, not even the Hitmen after they turned a potential fifth scoring inning into a double play in what could have been described as the play of the day.

The Hitmen, managed by Darren Stevens, were clearly the best team down the stretch and they simply turned it up a notch in the postseason as Forbes led the charge from the mound.

With a savvy bunch of young guys in their line-up, the Hitmen were a lot more aggressive than the more experienced Truckers who just simply couldn’t get anything going offensively.

The infield from third to first with Rashad Seymour, Dino Sweeting, Philip Johnson and Hosea Hilton, along with Forbes’ battery mate – catcher Angelo Dillett – was almost flawless.

They really didn’t allow their outfielders to work that hard at all because collectively they were able to take care of business in all three games.

That combination also played a vital role in their offensive attack, which was a huge difference in the series as they jumped on Truckers’ mainstay Thomas Davis early in the games and they never relinquished it. Now the big question on everybody’s mind is can they go all the way and win the big one – the Bahamas Softball Federation’s National Round Robin Tournament this weekend at the Banker’s Field.

The action starts tonight with four games on tap with the Hitmen taking on Abaco at 9:30pm. They play Grand Bahama on Saturday at 1:30pm and will square off with Eleuthera in what is expected to be dandy at 7:30pm.

The teams will play for the championship title on Sunday around 7pm.

If their performance against the Truckers was any indication, sponsor Clifford Sands said he doesn’t see why he can’t become the first person to move from one island to the next and win a championship as he did in Eleuthera.

Only time will tell.

COLLEGE OF

THE BAHAMAS

TRANSFORMATION

Come next Thursday, the College of the Bahamas will finally be transformed into the University of the Bahamas.

But one of the interesting things to watch is what their mascot and signature nickname will be as they move towards inclusion in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA).

Kimberly Rolle, athletic director of the Caribs, said they are excited about unveiling their new look in the coming weeks.

“We will make an announcement in the coming weeks what the university mascot will be, what it will look like and what the new brand for the university will entail,” she stated.

“We want all of our fans and our alumni to stay tuned. We will be known as the University of the Bahamas . . . . . Stay tuned.”

THE WEEK AHEAD

The Bahamas Volleyball Federation will have all eyes on their women’s national team as they prepare to travel to the Cayman Islands to compete in their version of the FIVA World Qualifying Round.

The dates are November 11-14 and Team Bahamas will be matched against Guadeloupe, Bonaire and the Cayman Islands.

Coach Jason Saunders said there are some collegiate players who are unable to get the time off from school and they will be missing a couple of local players who are on the disabled list.

But based on what he has to work with, Saunders said he’s confident that Team Bahamas, comprised of Laval Sands, Kelsie Johnson, Davia Moss, Melinda Bastian, Shantia Simon, JeNae Saunders, Eugunie Adderley, Britney Bonamy, Avoni Seymour and new team members Courtney Stevens, Latavia Braynen and Sari Albury, will get the job done.

Over the last few years, the men’s national team has been holding their own.

Hopefully, with the mixture of youth and experience this time around, the women can rise to the occasion.