The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

Alcott Forbes missed the perfect game, but he guided the C&S Hitmen to a 7-0 shutout as they clinched the Bahamas Softball Federation’s 2017 Rozina Taylor National Softball Championship men’s title over Grand Bahama's BTC Blazers.

Forbes fired a no-hitter with 10 strike outs to produce a masterful performance last night in the Banker’s Field at the Baillou Hills Sporting Complex. “This was what I wanted. I’ve been waiting on this for four years,” Forbes said. “I’ve been here to the finals three times in New Providence and I finally got it. I didn’t give up a single run in the tournament and I was working on a perfect game until we got the error in the fifth.”

Despite losing the perfect game, Forbes said he will settle for the shutout.

Forbes helped his own cause as he went 1-for-1 with a run scored; Angelo Dillet was 1-for-3 with three RBI and a run scored and Hosea Hilton was 1-for-2 with a RBI.

“Alcott was just dynamic for us tonight,” said Hitmen’s manager Darren Stevens. “From the first inning, I knew they were not going to get any runs off us. We just went out there and played very well behind him.”

Quintin Cooper suffered the loss on nine hits and two strike outs.

The Hitmen exploded for four runs in the bottom of the first inning as Philip Johnson had a one-out hit by pitch, Alcott Forbes was intentionally walk and Martin Burrows was hit by pitch to lead the bases.

That resulted in Angelo Dillet and Hosea Hilton connecting on consecutive two-run singles to drive in the runs.

As the Blazers still couldn’t find a way to counter Forbes’ masterful pitching, the Hitmen padded their lead to 7-0 two innings later in the third with three unearned runs as Philip Johnson, Alcott Forbes and Martin Burrows each scored for the second time.

After they scored two more runs in the fourth with one out and Philip Johnson on first, BTC brought in Darren Mortimer to replace starter on the mound and he immediately walked Forbes. But Mortimer got Martin Burrows to fly out and Angelo Dillett to pop up.

Forbes, meanwhile, struck out all of the batters he faced except three. In the second inning with two out, Quinton Cooper grounded out, Lynden Richardson popped up to start the third and Leon Cooper opened the fourth with a pop up as well.

But in the fifth, Forbes’ perfect game was broken when Quinton Rolle hit a grounder that Philip Johnson misjudged. But Forbes went on to hold on for the shutout.

BTC’s manager Desmond ‘Big Country’ Dean said they fought very hard and while they lost, he was very proud of their effort, considering that the team got started playing fast pitch very late.

“We played a very good team against an awesome pitcher,” Dean said. “Alcott is a very good friend of mine, but he was really on his game tonight. They deserve to win. We just got beat by a better team. But I’m proud of my guys.”

The Blazers had two impressive showing in the tournament, upsetting the Hitmen 6-3 before they dethroned the two-time defending champions Five Star Bulldogs out of Abaco 3-2 to get into the final.

“It was disappointing knowing that we won it the last two years, but in order to do it again we knew we had to play defense and we didn’t,” said Bulldogs’ ace pitcher Lyle Sawyer. “I felt I pitched good enough for us to win, but defense was the key.”

Sawyer assured their rivals that they will make the necessary adjustment during the off season and they will be back to regain their crown next year.

Here’s a summary of the games played:

Blazers 3, Bulldogs 2: Quinton Cooper led of the fourth with a single, advanced to second on Hakeem Stuart’s ground out and scored the winning run on a two-out error that put Michael Sweeting on base.

Sweeting finished 1-for-2 with a RBI; Larry Russell went 2-for-3 with a RBI Desmond Russell was 1-for-3 with a run scored and both Quinton Cooper and Hakeem Stuart were both 1-for-2 with a run scored.

Quinton Cooper gave up four hits with three strike outs for the win. Lyle Sawyer suffered the loss on six hits with five strike outs.

Willard Gardiner and Metrus Lightbourn were both 1-for-2 with a run scored and both William Weatherford and Lavaughn Ferguson were 1-for-2.

Hitmen 2, Bulldogs 0: C&S secured their berth into the final after watching Alcott Forbes missed out on a perfect game.

With one-out in the top of the fourth, Andrew Albury was walked and Lyle Sawyer singled to get on base, but Forbes struck out the next two batters to preserve the shutout.

Again in the fifth with one out, Mark Douglas got a hit and Metrus Lightbourn walked, but Forbes got the next two batters out, including the final one as pinch hitter William Weatherford hit a grounder that Hosea Hilton fielded on his knees and got the throw to Forbes at first to end the game.

Forbes finished with a two-hitter and 10 strike outs for the win. In a pitching dual, Lyle Sawyer had a no-hitter with seven strike outs.

Philip Johnson and Martin Burrows got on base on a one-out error and two-out hit by pitch respectively and scored the Hitmen only two runs on a wild pitch and error in the first inning.

The Blazers were scheduled to play the Blue Water Jets out of Eleuthera, but they didn’t show up. Earlier in the day, the Jets forfeited to the Bulldogs after the BSF refused to allow Wayde Weinburger Jr to play because their constitution state that a player has to play in the regular season or postseason in order to play in the nationals.

The Blue Waters content that Weinburger Jr was off to school and when he returned home to play in the Eleuthera Softball Association, the games were rained out.

Here’s a summary of the games played in the round robin:

Bulldogs 4, Blazers 3: Lyle Sawyer and Max Albury came up with the tying and winning runs to power the 5-Stars to victory.

Lavaughn Ferguson went 1-for-3 with a run scored.

Sawyer tossed a three-hitter with nine strike outs for the win. Quinton Copper got the loss on five hits with 10 strike outs.

Desmond Russell was 1-for-1 with a run scored.

Hitmen 2, Jets 0: Rashad Seymour was 1-for-2 with two RBI and Hosea Hilton went 1-for-3 with a RBI and run scored to lead C&S.

Alcott Forbes threw a two-hitter with nine strike outs, while Edney ‘the Heat’ Bethel got the loss on five hits with seven strike outs.

Van ‘Lil Joe’ Johnson was 1-for-2 and Edney Bethel went 1-for-1 in a losing effort for the Blue Waters.

Hitmen 9, Bulldogs 0: Alcott Forbes gave up just one hit, a two-out single to Metrus Lightbourn in the second, but Lightbourn was left stranded at first as Forbes got his third strike out of the inning to finish the game with ten Ks.

Rodney Forbes went 3-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored; Angelo Dillet and Rashad Seymour were both 1-for-2 with two RBI and a run scored and Martin Burrows was 1-for-3 with a run scored.

William Weatherford got the loss on nine hits with four strike outs.

Blazers 6, Hitmen 3: Darren Mortimer gave up five hits with a strike out for BTC as Grand Bahama stunned New Providence. Martin Burrows suffered the loss on seven hits with five strike outs.

Larry Russell was 2-for-3 with a RBI; Quinton Rolle was 1-for-3 with two RBI; Leon Cooper Jr was 1-for-3 with a RBI and run scored; Desmond Russell was also 1-for-3 with a run and Marvin Rolle was 1-for-1 with a RBI.

Alcott Forbes was 1-for-2 with two RBI; D’Kyle Rolle was 1-for-3 with a run scored and Rudy Fox was 1-for-1 with a run scored.