The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

stubbs@tribunemedia.net

THE Commando Security Truckers withdrew their protest of their pennant game Tuesday night against the Hitmen and now the best-of-five playoffs is all set to get underway tonight in the Banker’s Field at the Baillou Hills Sporting Complex.

The Truckers had lodged a protest after plate umpire Derick ‘Duckie’ Christie had awarded the Hitmen a 3-2 victory before the game was completed in the bottom of the sixth inning as a result of a downpour of rain.

The Hitmen, who trailed 2-0 at the end of the fifth inning, got a three-run home run from Martin Burrows Jr to go ahead, leaving two more runners on base when the game was called.

“The Truckers decided not to go ahead with the protest,” said league president Henry Dean. “So we are going to get the playoffs started on Friday night.”

The Truckers were hoping that the league would have rescinded the decision and reverted to the completion of the fifth inning when they led because they felt it was raining too heavy to continue the game.

However, Dean said the Truckers opted not to go through with the protest and so the Hitmen have been awarded the pennant and now they are trying to make up the few days they lost as they have to be completed with their postseason, including the championship, before October 29 when the Bahamas Softball Federation’s National Round Robin Tournament is held.

When the playoffs start tonight, the pennant winning Wildcats will host the Bommer G Lady Operators in the ladies’ 7pm opener. That will be followed by the men’s feature contest between the third place BTC Warriors and the second place Truckers.

Then on Saturday night, the other half of the playoffs is scheduled to get underway with the third place Lay Stingers facing the second place Lady Truckers in the ladies’ opener. 

The nightcap will be between the fourth place Mighty Mitts and the Hitmen. “From the line-ups, I think we will have some pretty keen and competitive games,” Dean said. “The game with the Truckers playing the Warriors should be a real competitive one. The winner will go on to play the Hitmen, who are playing the Mighty Mitts.

“On the female side, those four teams are pretty much even, so they may present more excitement straight through the playoffs. We expected the crowd to come out and support their favorite teams. These are the best of the best teams that we have in the league right now.”

The league had intended to already start the playoffs, but with the Truckers lodging the protest, he said they had to delay the games. He said they are hoping that there would be no further delays or they may have to reduce the playoffs to a best-of-three series in order to get the championship started in ample time.

“We want to be able to be finished with our championship at least five days before the start of the national round robin so that we can give our teams sufficient time to recuperate from the championships,” Dean said.

“So we will be looking at how the playoffs will go before we make any decision. Right now, it’s scheduled for a best-of-five series and the championship is scheduled for best-of-seven.”

Here’s how the teams finished the regular season:

Teams W L Pct. GB

Ladies’ Division

Wildcats 14 5 .736 -

Lady Truckers 12 7 .631 2

Lady Stingers 11 8 .578 3

Bommer G Operators 11 9 .550 31/2

Plantinum Sharks 10 10 .500 41/2

COB Caribs 0 19 .000 14

Men’s Division

C&S Hitmen 17 3 .850 -

Commando Security Truckers 16 4 .800 1

BTC Warriors 9 10 .473 71/2

Mighrty Mitts 5 14 .263 91/2

Dorsey Park Boys 2 18 .100 15