The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

The Sunshine Auto Wildcats proved that you should never underestimate the heart of an “old” champion.

Down 2-0 in the New Providence Softball Association’s 2017 Godfrey ‘Gully’ Burnside best-of-7 championship series against the defending champions Johnson’s Lady Truckers, the Lady Wildcats rallied to force a seventh and deciding game last night in the Banker’s Field at the Baillou Hills Sporting Complex.

And with the game tied at 4-4 going into the top of the sixth inning, Sunshine Auto took advantage of two costly errors by the Lady Truckers to take control as mainstay Mary ‘Cruise’ Sweeting held her opponents at bay the rest of the way.

She ended the game with a strike out after giving up a run on a lead-off triple.

In the end, their 7-5 triumph ended a four-year drought as the Lady Wildcats and sponsor Deanza ‘Sonny’ Cox began the celebrations before they get ready to join the C&S Hitmen in representing the NPSA in the Bahamas Softball Federation’s 2017 Rozina Taylor’s National Round Robin Tournament this weekend.

“We had a rough season, but roughness creates passion, roughness creates stability and roughness creates winners,” said a jubilant Cox, who could hardly talk as he secured his first victory as a sponsor in the league.

Cox said with marine Mary Sweeting on the mound, he wasn’t concerned because he knew that she was up for the task and she delivered when it counted the most.

Out of the line-up at the start of the season, Sweeting turned out to be the workhorse at the end,. pitching every game in the plaayoffs in their three-game sweep over the youthful Platinum Poll Lady Sharks and she did the same in the seven games against the Lady Truckers.

When it was all said and done, she shared the most valuable player award with second sacker Rebecca Moss, who led their offensive attack in the series, but finished the night with a 4-for-5 outing with three runs batted in (RBI).

“It feels great. It’s just awesome,” said Moss as she reflected on how they managed to come back after trailing in the series. “We had a lot of fight still left in us. We kept fighting, fighting, fighting right to the end. It feel awesome to finally win it again.”

And Larikah Russell, who played like a vacuum up the middle in shortstop, said it was just incredible how they managed to “hang in there. We were a bit nervous at first and then we started to relax,” she pointed out. “Our offense came alive and our defense was spectacular. I have to give a big thank you to our pitcher. She hung in there, dug deep and kept her composure.”

Even though they were considered “old” and “washed up,” Sweeting said they gave the fans their money’s worth and more in producing of the best series that the NPSA has had in al ong time.

“We wanted it more. We were ready, we played our hips off and we came out victorious,” she quipped.

Indicative of the way the series has gone, Sweeting said when they were tied going into the sixth, she knew sooner or later her Lady Wildcats’ team-mates would pout it together and make a run down the stretch.

“All night we had more runners on base, so I knew all we had to do was go out there and execute,” she explained. “I knew with the game on the line, I was prepared to pitch my arm off tonight and that was what I did.”

Having fallen behind 7-4 going into the bottom of the seventh, Shaquel Bain ripped a shot to left field over the head of Lady Wildcats’ Meckeisha Davis. But she stayed there until with two out, Shevette Taylor came through with a clutch run-producing single. However, Sweeting got back into her groove and struck out Ruthann Simms to end the game.

“If any team deserve it, we deserve it because Sonny put his all into this,” said Sunshine Auto manager Anthony Bullard. “Even when we lost, he was right there with us. I told the team, the only thing we have to do is play this for Sonny. That’s why I went and brought him out here to help us celebrate.”

Bullard said what made it so sweet for them was that they beat the Lady Truckers, who had two national coaches in their manager Mario Ford and International Softball Federation’s Hall of Famer Sidney ‘Bobby Baylor’ Fernander. He said they wanted it more and they got it.

In what turned out to be the biggest blow of the game, Lynette Kerlly got on base on a single, but got throw out on Lashona Bethel’s fielder’s choice. Rebecca Moss then followed with a single to move Bethel to second. After Larikah Russell popped up to Bastian, Garenette Curry hit a grounder that dropped Bastian on the ground. Instead of throwing to second, she made an errant throw to first.

That enabled Bethel and Moss to score the two runs Sunshine Auto needed to put the game out of reach. Mary Sweeting was then intentionally walked and Chryshan Percentie grounded to Bastian, who bobbled the ball again. But Johnson’s managed to avoid giving up another run as Mecheisha Davis popped up.

“It was a disappointing loss. We were in the game up until the sixth inning when we made those couple mistakes,” Ford said. “Our pitcher was keeping us in the game, so all we had to do was play that defense, but unfortunately we didn’t. you have to play defense against a veteran team.”

After squandering a 2-0 lead and 3-2 in the series, Ford said they had problems putting their starters in the game at the start because of some of their lateness. But he credited Sunshine Auto for dethroning them. He admitted that they played much better than they did and it showed in the end.

Like Sweeting, Marvell Miller was steady on the mound, but she wasn’t even though she was disappointed in the loss, she was pleased.

“We didn’t fight as hard as we should have, but next year hopefully we can get the title back,” she projected.

The Lady Wildcats got the ball rolling in the game, scoring the first run in thew first inning on Larakah Russell’s RBI triple to plate Lashonda Bethel, who drew a lead off walk. The Lady Truckers, however, responded with three, highlighted by Shevette Taylor’s RBI single, Marvell Taylor’s RBI triple and Theota Ferguson’s RBI single.

The Lady Wildcats cut the deficit to 3-2 in the second on Rebecca Moss’ two-out RBI single that knocked in Dornette Edwards, who had a one-out single.

The Lady Truckers powered to a 4-2 lead in the third on Marvell Miller’s two-out RBI single to plate Shevette Taylor, who had a fielder’s choice.

But Sunshine Auto managed to tie the score with two more in the fourth on a Rebecca Moss’ RBI single and a RBI ground out from Garenette Curry, scoring Lynette Kelly and Lashonda Bethel respectively.