Port Moresby sides dominate 43rd softball titles

PORT Moresby dominated the 43rd National Softball Championships with the capital city teams Melonas beating defending champions Kakanas 3-2 to win the title in Lae.
The four-day event hosted by the Lae Softball Association was played at two venues, the Eriku Niall Reserve Oval and SCRUM Oval.
In the women’s final, defending champions Port Moresby Gold beat Madang Pein 13-0.
For POM Gold this was their 10th consecutive championship.
The men’s final match started with defending champions Kakanas taking the field while Melonas opted to bat and by the bottom of the second innings there was still no score on the board.
Kakanas quickly grabbed the initiative to score two runs at the bottom of the third through Bernard ToAlbert and Kojack Wosley.
The contest see-sawed from the fourth to the sixth innings yet no more runs were scored by either side.
The defending champions used their overall experience to contain the Melonas.
But things came undone for them at the top seventh innings.
To their credit, the Melonas kept their composure and Zale Mika blew open the final with a home run with captain Bogan Paul leveling the scores after running in off a Chan Adrian hit. Melonas Malum Jonty provided the match winner hitting the ball into space for Kouse Tomu to get his side ahead 3-2.
Although the Kalanas had an opportunity to equalize through Peter Bunbun who provided Vernon Wam a chance to make home plate but he was tagged out by backstop Gimi Ora at the bottom of the seventh.
Award winners: Top pitcher – Trudy Simba (women-POM Gold), Mosley Obed (men-Kakanas); Top batter – Carol Apelis (men-POM Gold), Briton Zale (men-Madang Kings); Top infielder – Holitha Upaupa (women-Mdang Pein), Bernard ToAlbert (men-Kakanas); Top outfielder – Jenisha Kauke (women-Lae Red), Vernon Wam (male-Kakanas), Player of the tournament – Navasha Pilak (women-POM Gold), Jonty Malum (men- Melonas); Umpire of the tournament – Peter Foromet (Kimbe); Scorer of the tournament – Anna Bakut (Rabaul).