The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

The New Providence Softball Association will have to wait at least another day before they can decide the men’s pennant winners.

After being rained out over the weekend, the league’s biggest match-up for the season finally materialised last night in the Banker’s Field at the Baillou Hills Sporting Complex as the defending champions Commando Security Truckers took on last year’s runners-up C&S Hitmen for the top spot in the regular season going into the best-of-five playoffs.

But after taking a 2-0 lead in the top of the fifth inning, the rain came down in the bottom of the sixth as the Hitmen took advantage with a 3-run home run from Martin Burrows Jr to go up 3-2 and leaving two more runners in scoring position on third and second when plate umpire Dereck “Duckie” Christie halted the game.

He eventually came back and officially called off the game, awarding the victory to the Hitmen. The Truckers immediately lodged a protest, indicating that if the game is called, they should have been awarded the victory by virtue of leading at the game of the fifth inning when the game was official.

League president Henry Dean said the Truckers submitted a “verbal protest” to the officials and it was logged into the scorer’s book.

“They now have 48 hours in which they must make their protest official, but we are hoping that they can expedite it so that we can get the playoffs started,” Dean said. “This is not the playoffs where we would have to commission a protest committee that is available to deal with a protest right away before the game is continued.

“So because they have lodged the protest, we have to give them the 48 hours in which they make their protest official. Once that is done and we look at the protest, we can get the playoffs started. Hopefully we can get started by Friday or Saturday night.”

Both the Truckers and the Hitmen have split their four regular season matches and they were both tied with identical win-loss records of 16-3. The winner of the pennant will occupy the top spot and will take on the fourth place Mighty Mitts, who were 5-14, while the losers will meet the third place BTC Warriors, who were 9-10.

The game started out as a pitcher’s duel between two national team pitchers. Through the first five innings, Thomas Davis was working on a no-hit shut-out with nine strike outs for the Truckers. Alcott Forbes, back in the line-up for the Hitmen, had given up five hits with nine strike outs as well.

The difference was the two runs Forbes gave up to the Truckers in the fifth.

Ramon Storr led off with a walk and he watched as Lamar Watkins ripped a fly ball to right centre field and only managed to get to third with Watkins having to give up his speed to remain on second. On a ground ball by Marvin Wood, Storr attempted to score and got called out on the tag from Angelo Dillet.

But a run-producing single by Garfield Bethel sent Watkins home with the Truckers’ first run. After Bethel stole second, Wood came home on a wild pitch.

The score remained that way until the bottom of the sixth when Forbes led off with a walk and stole second for the Hitmen.

Dillet also walked and after Forbes reached third on Philip Johnson’s fielder’s choice, Dillet was picked off at second. That brought up Burrows Jr, who drilled a 3-2 pitch in the rain over the centre field fence as the Hitmen celebrated a 3-2 lead after both Forbes and pinch runner Christopher Whymms scored.

Michael Ingraham then singled and advanced to third on Rashad Seymour’s double. But the rain came down too heavy for the game to continue.

“I’ve been trying to tell the umpire from the time the rain started that we couldn’t continue to play,” said Truckers’ manager Perry Seymour.

“Our pitcher wasn’t able to throw strikes before he had to lob the ball. It was just too slippery out there, but the umpires still wanted us to play.”

Seymour said it was unfair to his team, who had already taken the lead at the end of the fifth inning and should have been awarded the win. He said they intend to lodge an official protest and will await the final decision by the NPSA.

Also waiting are the teams in the ladies’ division. They will have to wait for the outcome as well before their playoffs can get started. Whenever they do, the pennant winning Wildcats (14-5) will battle the fourth place Bommer G Operators (11-9). The second place Lady Truckers (12-7) will take on the third place Lady Stingers (11-8).