The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

THE Sunshine Auto Wildcats got the timely hits and good pitching when they needed it as they rolled past the Johnson's Lady Truckers 9-6 to snatch a 1-0 lead in their New Providence Softball Association ladies' best-of-seven championship series on Saturday night in the Banker's Field at the Baillou Hills Sporting Complex.

"Game one was a bit of a struggle at first," said first sacker Chryshan Percentie. "We had a totally different nine line-up in the beginning, but we were able to make some adjustments and pull through for the win."

One of those players who was brought in off the bench in the fourth inning to help strengthen their defence, Percentie said they're looking forward to stepping on the gas when they play game two at 8:30pm on Tuesday night.

"We just have to realise, once our pitcher is good, we're good to go from there," Percentie said.

"Hopefully any nine would work. We just have to make the plays and get more runs on offence. Tonight offensively, the score was low. We could do much better than that."

While Thela Johnson went the distance, giving up five hits with three strike outs for the win, Diva Burrows suffered the loss as she suffered 11 hits with three strike outs for the loss. "We came out flat thinking that we had it after our playoff game," said Burrows, who only Thursday helped the Truckers to clinch their berth into the final in an epic fifth and deciding semifinal match up against the youthful Platinum Pool Lady Sharks. "I think we had a little more energy, we would have won the game. We wasn't aggressive at all. We were too laid back."

Look for the Lady Truckers, managed by Sidney 'Bobby Baylor' Fernander and coached by Mario Ford to be a lot more prepared for game two.

"We have to come out jumping,. just how we pop that last game, we have to pop the next game," Burrows insisted.

When asked if they can do it, she uttered: "We can do it. They ain't going to sweep us."

Trailing 3-1 going into the bottom of the second inning, Sunshine Auto produced six more runs on four hits as they took a 7-3 lead and never relinquished it.

Catcher Dornette Evards led the rally with a bases loaded run-producing single, third sacker Daria Cambridge followed with a RBI single, shortstop Larikah Russell came through with a two-run double and as they batted around the clock, right fielder Corlene McKinney drew a RBI walk before she got caught up into a double on first sacker Shavonne Dames' grounder.

The Lady Wildcats, who played without manager Anthony Bullard, got another run in the fourth on Russell's RBI sacrifice fly to plate left fielder Tyrece Curry and finished with their ninth run in the sixth on another Russell RBI sacrifice fly to send Cambridge home.

Russell, incidentally, was also responsible for their first inning in the first inning on a two-out RBI single that Curry caught ride across the home plate.

The Lady Truckers came out smoking with two runs in the top of the first as left fielder Krystal Evans and third sacker Shevette Taylor took advantage of two back-to-back miscues by the Lady Wildcats. They didn't score again until the fourth when Evans' two-out RBI triple plated center fielder Dawanya Pratt.

Right fielder Theola Johnson got on base on an error in the fifth and scored on a passed ball and in the sixth, Pratt ripped a shot to center field and was credited with a triple as she scored after Edwards dropped the ball on the tag at the plate.