The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

THERE was some drama and a little bit of controversy as the sixth Bahamas Games’ action packed softball competition continued yesterday in the Bankers’ Field at the Baillou Hills Sporting Complex.

In one of the highlights of the individual performances, Grand Bahama Buccaneers’ third baseman Quintin Rolle cracked a pair of two-run home runs onto the adjacent soccer pitch as they blasted the MICAL Flamingos 14-2.

While they celebrated that feat, the Exuma Navigators ladies lodged an official protest against the Long Island Sheep Runners against an illegal player that helped them to turn what would have been a 4-2 loss into a forfeiture win.

Loran Burrows, who heads the protest committee that included Jeffery ‘Beef’ Henfield and Mary ‘Cruise’ Edgecombe, said there was a breach of the eligibility rule, which indicated that players can only be drafted from New Providence or Grand Bahama for Family Island teams.

“Family Island players cannot be drafted by Family Island teams. “They must play for the Family Island where they are residents for at least six months prior to the start of the Bahamas Games,” Burrows said.

“What has transpired in several incidents, that there were Family Island players playing on different Family Island teams and as those protests were brought forward, and we found out that they in fact were not residing on those Family Islands, they were not allowed to play.”

The incident first arose on day one on Tuesday night when ace pitcher Edney ‘the Heat’ Bethel of Eleuthera attempted to play for the Exuma Navigators, whom he won the title with at the last games in 2001. But after a protest by Long Island, the game was halted and the protest committee made the ruling that he would not be eligible to play.

In the case of the Long Island ladies game yesterday, they were leading 4-2 in the bottom of the third against Exuma when they brought in Alie Pinder-Roberts, who resides in Spanish Wells, as a substitute player.

Exuma made an official protest and the game was halted as the protest committee was called in.

After a lengthy discussion, it was decided that she was ineligible and Long Island ended up forfeiting the game to Exuma.

Burrows said the protest committee, which also includes Desmond Dean from Grand Bahama, will continue to monitor the player movements to ensure that they stick by the rules that were agreed upon with the Games Secretariat of the Bahamas Games.

Lucayans 14,

Flamingos 2

Quintin Rolle cracked a pair of homers as he went 2-for-2 with four RBI and two runs scored to lead the Grand Bahama men.

Rolle’s first homer came in a seven-run first inning after Desmond Russell hit a two-run shot.

Rolle got a two-run shot over the centre field fence that went onto the soccer pitch. His second shot, which also went onto the soccer pitch, was on a two-run homer in a three-run second.

“The sun was hot and so I just wanted to come out and have some fun with my team-mates, but I was under some pressure,” he said. “In our first game, I had two pop-ups and in the second game, I struck out twice.

“I didn’t have any choice. I saw the ball and I hit the ball.”

Larry Russell was 2-for-2 with two RBI and a run scored and Emond Russell was 1-for-2 with two RBI and two runs scored and Terro Rolle was 2-for-3 with a run scored.

Sidney Neely was 1-for-1 with a RBI and Rodney Forbes was 1-for-2 with a run scored for MICAL.

Michael Sweeting got the win over Geromme Hanna.

Rolle said if the Lucayans can continue to play the way they did against the Flamingos, he doesn’t see why they can’t be a contender for the gold in the men’s division.

• Results of other games played are as follows:

Andros 3, Eleuthera 0: Rashanta Hart was 1-for-2 with a RBI; Andrea Evans was 1-for-1 with a RBI and both Cyntese Cooper and Vashawna Bastian were both 1-for-2 with a run scored a piece for Andros women.

Lashanta Carey was 2-for-2 for Eleuthera.

T’Shura Evans was the winning pitcher and Solana Brown got the loss.

Eleuthera 8, Andros 1: Mica Bethel was 1-for-2 with two RBI and a run scored and Windsor Bethel was 1-for-1 with a run scored for Eleuthera men.

Stevenson Barr had the lone hit and Dannell Scott scored the only run for Andros. Sheldon Pinder got the win and Larvick Evans got the loss for Andros.

Flamingoes 12, Arawaks 3: Sisters Alvounne Hall was 1-for-3 with a RBI and two runs scored and Altavia Hall was1-for-2 with two RBI and a run scored ti lead MICAL women.

Ruthann Simms was 2-for-2 with a RBI and a run scored and Tyler Miller was 1-for-3 with a RBI and a run scored to help out.

Khathrel Dosette went 1-for-2 with a run scored for Columbus Isles.

Diva Burrows got the win in relief of Alex Gabriel and Ebony Higgs got the loss.

Buccaneers 17,

Adventurers 5

The New Providence men went on an offensive tear to make their presence felt as they stayed undefeated in the late game played Wednesday night.

Lamar Watkins had an explosive 2-for-4 day with three RBI and two runs; Steven Russell was 2-for-2 with three RBI and two runs; Winston Seymour Jr was also 2-for-2 with a RBI and two runs scored and Austin Hanna was 1-for-3 with a RBI and two runs scored.

Sheldon Neymour was 1-for-2 with a RBI and a run scored and Terran Wood was 1-for-2 with two runs scored in a losing effort for Eleuthera.

Cardinal Gilbert was the winning pitcher and Micha Bethel suffered the loss.

Buccaneers 14,

Adventurers 1

The New Providence women also displayed their offensive prowess as they took apart Eleuthera in dramatic style Wednesday night as well.

Travia Smith went 2-for-3 with an in-the-park homer with four RBI and two runs scored; Sari Albury was 2-for-2 with two RBI and a run scored and Ramona Hanna was 1-for-2 with three RBI and two runs scored.

Tilshon Leary was 1-for-1 with a RBI for Eleuthera.

Hanna was the winning pitcher and Delena Symonette was the losing pitcher.

Navigators 9, Flamingoes 4: Despite losing Edney Bethel to the eligibility clause, the Exuma men still went on a rampage against Columbus Isles.

Sherman Ferguson went 2-for-2 with a home run and drove in four runs and scored twice, while Martin Burrows and Edron Knowles were both 1-for-2 with an RBI; Philip Johnson was 1-for-3 with two RBI and Alcott Forbes was 1-for-1 with two runs.

Chedi Ferguson was 1-for-2 with an RBI and a run scored and Chris McPhee was 1-for-1 with an RBI and a run scored for Columbus Isles.

Forbes got the win in relief of starter Richard Bain, Kayle Carey got tagged with the loss before he was replaced by veteran Alphonso ‘Chicken’ Albury, who made history as the first softball player to participate in all six games.

Lucayans 12, Flamingoes 2: Jasmine Scavella went 2-for-3 with two runs scored and Kenya Forbes was 1-for-1 2ith two RBI and two runs scored to lead the Grand Bahama women to victory Wednesday night.

Breanna Forbes was the winning pitcher and Phillesha Major got tagged with the loss.

The softball competition will continue today at 9am as teams battle for position heading into the playoffs and medal rounds with Saturday’s finale.