By DAHALIA SMITH, NG Sports Reporter, dahalia@nasguard.com

Last year's runners-up in the New Providence Softball Association (NPSA), the Proper Care Pool Sharks, defeated the veteran Sigma Brackettes, 7-3, on Saturday night at the Baillou Hills Sporting Complex.

The Sharks led from early on. They posted three runs in the first inning and two in the second to lead 5-1. Both sides did not score in the third, fourth and fifth innings, but the Sharks pushed another two runs across the plate in the bottom of the sixth, while the Brackettes responded with two runs in the top of the seventh in a losing effort.

Alex Taylor was the winning pitcher while Linda Ford, who came out of retirement this season, was tagged with the loss. Overall, the winning side scored their runs off eight hits while the Brackettes had seven hits. Leading in the win was Vonetta Nairn, who went 3-for-4, scored one run and had two RBIs. Jeannine Wallace went 1-for-4 and scored two runs. Meanwhile, Antonia Sumer went 2-for-3 and scored one run for the Brackettes.

The Sharks' win/loss record is 1-1, but according to head coach Stephen 'Bishop' Beneby, their goal this season is to win the title.

"We won tonight and lost to the defending champs, the Wildcats, in the opener. We lost the first game off errors. We did not have our full team. Nonetheless, we did the best with what we had. Alex pitched well tonight," he said. "Aside from focusing on winning the title this season, we will also focus on developing our younger pitchers. The newest pitcher is 18-year-old Garenette Curry from Abaco. Also, helping out in the pitching department will be Thela Johnson, Beatrice Whylley, Keitra Flowers and Shamika McKenzie," Beneby said.

The Brackettes, coached by Cyril Smith, also stands at 1-1 on the season. Smith said the mixture of youthful and veteran players on the team this year makes it unique. Notable pitchers Ford and Ernestine 'Big Horse' Stubbs, who announced their retirement from the sport last year, were present in the dug out and wearing uniforms.

"We won our first game over BTC and lost to the Sharks tonight. Tonight, defensive errors attributed to the loss. We put some people in place who were not able to perform. In addition, we did not hit very well. Nonetheless, I expect for this team to perform well this season. We are a bit weak in our pitching department. However, we were able to get some seasoned pitchers back on the team like Linda Ford and Ernestine Stubbs. Linda pitched well tonight and it is always good having experience on a team. Also, the veteran players will be very helpful with giving our younger players constructive criticism. Stubbs, in particular, has her uniform but has not decided to play yet. We expect for Stubbs to help the other pitchers in that department," said Smith.