By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

The Commando Security Truckers took the monkey off their back and put the pressure clearly in the faces of the defending champions C&S Hitmen to respond going into game six of their New Providence Softball Association best-of-seven men’s championship series tonight in the Banker’s Field at the Baillou Hills Sporting Complex.

Trailing 3-1 in the series, but leading 3-1 going in the top of the sixth inning, the Truckers took advantage of an ejection for unsportsmanlike conduct by Hitmen’s ace Alcott Forbes to surge to a 8-1 triumph on Tuesday night. The Hitmen still hold a 3-2 lead, but will play this pivotal game tonight with Forbes, who must sit out a game.

“Like I said Saturday night, the Truckers are not going down just like that,” said Commando Security’s player/manager Olando McPhee. “We took advantage of his ejection tonight, although we felt we had this one in the bag and we hope to use that as a momentum for the next game.”

In another pitching duel between two national team members, Thomas Davis (Truckers) and Forbes (Hitmen), Davis rode the three unearned runs he got from centre fielder Lamar Watkins, left fielder Angelo Watson and designated player Winston Seymour Jr in the fourth.

To make matters worse, Watson singled and eventually scored the Truckers’ fourth run in the sixth on a RBI sacrifice fly from Davis. They added three more to put the game out of reach in the seventh as Watkins and Watson scored on Seymour’s two-run single and catcher Garfield Bethel’s run-producing triple that sent Seymour Jr home.

Thomas, by the way, didn’t complete the game, as first baseman Eugene Pratt came in to close the door on C&S in the seventh.

As for the Hitmen, they only mustered one run on Forbes’ RBI single that picked up centre fielder Rodney Forbes, who drew a lead off hit by pitch in the fourth. They struggled to cross the plate again in the fifth before the drama unfolded in the sixth.

On a call out play at first base by Michael Hanna, the Hitmen argued to plate umpire Crystal Taylor to no avail. Apparently, Forbes threw his glove in disguise and was tossed from the game.

C&S manager Darren Stevens said he didn’t see exactly what happened, but they will have to abide by the rules.

Despite the loss of Forbes, who was replaced by right fielder Keiron Munroe, Steven said it comes with the territory.

“Sometimes that happens, but we have to roll with the punches and go from there,” he said. “We have to regroup. We will regroup. Obviously it’s a big loss, but we hope that the team can rally around without him. We just have to come out and show some more fight. I still believe we can win the series.”

If the Truckers go on to tie the series, the seventh and deciding game will be played on Saturday night. If the Hitmen prevail, they will join the Sunshine Auto Wildcats in repeating as champions. The Wildcats clinched their back-to-back title over the Johnson’s Lady Truckers on Tuesday night, winning their series 4-1.

While Sunshine Auto will go on to represent the NPSA in the Bahamas Softball Federation’s National Round Robin Tournament during the first weekend in November against the visiting Family Island teams, whoever wins the men’s title will also earn their berth to compete for the national championship crown.