By: BVIPlatinum.com
Al Leonard trots home after his 3-run home run blast part of an eighth run rally by the Pirates in the fifth inning.
Photo: Gordon French/BVI Platinum News
The BVI Softball Association will crown a new men’s Fast Pitch League champion as the Pirates ended the season-long struggle for 2014 champions, Power Outage shortly before 1:30 am at the Softball Field in Road Town this morning, August 15.
Trailing 2-0 in the best of five playoff series and in need of a win to stay alive, Power Outage surged to an early 6-0 lead after two innings. Four runs were scored on 3 hits in the first inning and in the second inning Jeremy ‘Chicken’ Penn struck a two-run home run blast over the center field wall.
Playing without Neville ‘Sheep’ Smith who retired from the sport after last year’s title run, Power Outage relied on Joseph Smith Sr who bothered the Pirates early. On the opposite side of the field, Pirates stuck with starting pitcher Nikos Penn in spite of the early runs scored by Power Outage.
By the bottom of the third inning, the Pirates had seen enough of Smith, scoring their first run and in the fourth inning 3 more runs crossed home plate all before the first out was recorded.
Power Outage held a 6-4 edge and the Pirates were surging when umpire Glenford ‘Chappy’ Maduro halted play due to rain at the end of four innings of play. When play resumed, Nikos Penn held Power Outage to their third consecutive scoreless inning buying enough time for his hitters to take command.
Right on cue after the rain delay in the bottom of the fifth, there was no shelter from the onslaught that saw Pirates pile on 8 runs from 5 hits against Smith to wrestle the lead away, 12-6.
The inning was headlined by a three-run homer from Al Leonard.
Power Outage narrowly escaped the inning as the 9th run in the inning would have invoked the mercy rule and the game would have ended. The defending champs were not going away without a fight and scored 5 runs at the top of the 6th inning to put the score 12-11 and two runs away from taking the lead.
Pirates were held scoreless in the 6th inning to set up an intriguing 7th and final inning.
At the top of the 7th, Pirates went to their ace pitcher, Allen “Woodrow” Smith who delivered the crucial save, stranding the run to tie the game at third base and securing victory 12-11.
Leonard from the Pirates were 3 for 3, scored twice and drove in 4 runs while Rhodni Skelton was 3 for 4, 1 runs scored and 4 runs batted in.
For Power Outage, Jeremy Penn was 3 for 4 with 3 runs scored and 4 runs batted in while Khoy ‘The Mailman’ Frett was 3 for 3, 2 runs scored and 2 runs batted in.
Pirates will await the winner of the playoff series between Reds and Republica Dominicana whose game will be played on Wednesday, August 19 at 7:00 pm.
