Softball: Docksiders & FIU Crowned Champions
The Bermuda softball season came to a close on Thursday with Docksiders and FIU Scared Hitless crowned champions.
Docksiders added the Postseason championship to go with their playoff trophy as they beat Paraquet Flyers 18-8.
Paraquet held an early lead after scoring three in the first inning with Steve O’Flynn [4-4], delivering the first of four extra-base hits with a double. Shortstop Steve Simons [4-4] drove home the first of his three RBIs. Paraquet would add two more in the third to extend their lead to five with Simons scoring O’Flynn, who had tripled.
Docksiders finally got on the board after captain Richard Medeiors [3-5] hit a three-run homer plating Shawn Furlong [4-6] and pitcher Danny Cook [3-5, 3 runs]. They took the lead in the fourth as they batted around, scoring five runs with both Furlong and Jaylynn Hines [2-4] smashing home runs.
The team would pile on eight more runs in their last two at bats with Mike Sakata [3-5, 7 RBI] hammering two homers that would score six teammates. Second baseman Adam Birch went 5-5 while Paulo Arruda [3-5] picked up four RBI in the victory.
O’Flynn figured heavily in Paraquet’s final three runs scoring twice and hitting a two-run shot in the top of the seventh.
The opener saw FIU Scared Hitless in control early but was gutted when Marcus Johnson [2-4] blasted a walk-off three-run homer in the bottom of the fifth. PHC won 16-14.
FIU led early 6-3 after two innings thanks in part to leadoff man Marcellus Thomas [3-5] setting the table. He would score two of his four runs in those frames. Kyle Ball [2-4] drove home the first of three teammates.
PHC’s bats finally woke up in the third inning as they plated 11 runs and sent 14 people to the plate. Johnson was in the thick of things here too as he started things off with a double. Ari Tucker [3-3] followed up with a single, and the parade of Zebras galloping around the bases was on. Chris Pitcher [2-3] powered a grand slam to clear the bases, but timing hitting by Zakiah Lee [2-3] and Tawana Fox [3-4, 3 runs] keep the score ticking along.
PHC was leading 13-10 heading to the top of the fourth, but FIU had fight still in them as they came right back to take the lead by plating four runners. Dwight Jackson [2-4, 3 runs] hit a two-run shot while Troy Pitcher [2-4] also plated Kyle Ball.
After a 1-2-3 fifth – the game was shortened due to time – the contest was set up for a dramatic finish. Down 14-13, Fox and Tarirah Hill both singled before Johnson took the ball over the fence for the come-from-behind triumph.
