The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

The Sunshine Auto Wildcats needed two explosive innings to come back for a 20-12 win over the Inventive Intellect Warriors last night.

At the end of the three-hour affair, the Wildcats took a 2-0 lead over the Warriors in their New Providence Softball Association ladies' best-of-seven championship series.

Game three is scheduled for Thursday and if the Warriors don't find a way to win, they could be looking at a possible sweep in game four come Saturday.

In the meantime, the men's defending champions Commando Security Truckers and the pennant winning CS Hitmen will be back for game three in the feature contest at 8:30pm on Thursday.

The Truckers and the Hitmen played in a late game last night, but no results were available up to press time due to the ladies' opener taking longer to complete.

Both the Wildcats, managed by Anthony Bullard, and the Warriors, managed by Kelly Smith, opted not to go with their starting pitchers.

Ramona Hanna got the start for the Wildcats, but Thela Johnson came in relief in the second to seal the deal. It was the reverse in game one as Hanna relieved Johnson in the sixth and was awarded the win in their 6-4 decision.

For the Warriors, Melinda Bastian started and went five innings before she was replaced by Brendia Ferguson, the loser in game one.

Ferguson went to the seventh when Jeanette Hilton moved from second to replace her. Hilton couldn't complete the job and so Bastian came back and closed the door.

By then, Sunshine Auto had already secured the win. They did it with a nine-run top of the fifth inning as they rallied back from a 9-3 deficit.

They tacked on two more in the sixth and produced another five runs in the seventh.

Refusing to put a dent into the huge margin, Inventive Intellects responded with two more runs in the bottom of the seventh, but it wasn't enough.

Left fielder Tyrice Curry-Davis led the offensive charge for the Wildcats as she went 3-for-4 with two walks in her six at-bats, driving in two runs and scoring three.

Second sacker Daria Cambridge had one hit, two walks and a hit by pitch, scoring three runs and right fielder Lashanda Bethel had a pair of walks and got on a passed ball on a strike out to also score three runs.

Centre fielder Dennisha Woodside came through with a two-run single in the fifth and scored two runs.

Catcher Aaliyah Ferguson had a pair of hits and scored twice as well, while third sacker Ruthann Simms got hit by a pitch, singled and scored twice.

In an attempt to do it on both ends of the spectrum to get the Warriors into the winners' circle, Melinda Bastian enjoyed a perfect 3-for-3 night at the plate with three RBIs and four runs scored.

Her first run and the first of the game in the bottom of the first came on a solo in-the-park home run.

Designated player Michelle Thompson had a single and got on base on an error and scored two runs to help out, while third sacker Crystal Taylor-Finley had a pair of walks and scored twice.

While the Wildcats scored two runs in the second, one each in the third and fourth before they powered their way to victory in the final three innings, the Warriors snatched the early lead with one in the first, seven in the second and one each in the fourth and fifth to go along with the two in the seventh as they fell short once again.