Do-or-die in men’s softball

The National Sports

By HENRY MORABANG

UNITED Brothers will have to be focused on batting and minimising their error count if they want to beat Brown Eagles in the sudden-death playoff in Port Moresby men’s softball on Sunday.
Brothers’ veteran Dick Bart Jr said their training has been focused on two key areas.
The team has some new faces like Elias Missy, who has been elevated from B grade, and Andrew Karai.
Backstop Ora Gime was the latest acquisition after Manalos folded this season.
His experience and prowess has filled a vacancy which the club has been trying to fill for some time.
“We are pleased having him on board and he has bolstered our batting strength as well,” the first-base custodian said.
Another two players, Junior Herman Dick and Junior Hondo Bart, are new inclusions who are no strangers to the code.
Apart from them, United Brothers will bank on Adrian Chan, Gerard Pokanau and Glenn Niggints to lead the men.
Bart said they respected their opposition.
“We will respect them on all fronts as they have worked hard to be up there. They are a young side with a lot of enthusiasm and speed,” Bart said.
Brown Eagles this season have been on a roll.
The young men from Matupit, East New Britain, have been quite dominant lately and they will be hard to beat.
The early game between PNG Power and Yokomo will be another tough one.
PNG Power seem to be peaking at the right time after their thumping of the young Eagles 10-1 last week, while Yokomo’s seasoned players will be a different kettle of fish.
The team that makes less mistakes should come away with the win as both have a good bunch of players in their respective line-ups.
Yokomo will be relying on their big guns Colin Mangot, Paul Bogan, David Upapua, the Zale brothers and Clifford Kose. They also have a supporting cast who can create problems for the opposition. PNG Power, on the other hand,  have Tovia brothers Junior, Demes and Danny, supported by Paul Tabete, Eddie Simba and Eugene Tovue to drive their attack. The men from Hohola have the batting power to be create an upset and snatch the win against Yokomo.
The team who scores runs and makes less mistakes will come away with the win.