05 Nov 2014

The BoFINET Botswana Softball Association (BSA) Northern Zone league 2014-15 was launched in Palapye over the weekend.

BSA league is sponsored to the tune of P1 million and this season will see a first prize money of P100 000 for both ladies and men, while second position teams will each get P50 000.

The northern teams battled to be amongst the top eight with some teams keeping up with the winning mood while some lost all their first matches.

Orapa-based Carats men softball club played well as they walloped every team which tried to get on their way. Their encounter with Palapye- based Motlakase saw them sailing through without any problems as host men had difficulties with Carats’ pitcher Thabang Makgobo.

However, Motlakase’s Selebatso Haskins could not take this lying down as he fought with everything he got until he hit a home run for his team.

He managed to push his team mate forward, who was already safe at second base, registering two points for their team. Carats walloped them 14-2. 

Again they also humiliated Serowe-based Raptures 9-0.  Motlakase men team again with their minor mistakes lost to Raptures 3-2.  However, Motlakase managed to redeem their pride on Sunday as they beat Orapa - based Rebels 8-7. 

The game, which started with Rebels being on the lead, saw Motlakase coming from behind with Koketso Majagobe’s home run rescuing his team from further humiliation. 

Majagobe rescued his team in the third inning of the match, where there were already two men down with the bases full and with his home run, he managed to push his team members forward and they registered four points at a go. 

As lady luck was not on their side, Rebels also lost to Raptures men 2-1 in a very tight game. Both teams had the best pitchers to thank, namely Raptures’ Joseph Dibuseng and Rebels’ Joseph Lepodisi.

On the ladies teams, Motlakase ladies teams could be named the best team of the weekend as they did not want to be left behind. They hammered every team that threatened to stand on their way. The team, which is mostly made by school going students, saw them beating Raptures ladies 16-4 and beating Carats ladies 3-2.

However, problems seemed to be accumulating in the nest of the Serowe based Raptures softball ladies team as they were humiliated by all the teams that played against them and they were also embarrassed by Carats ladies who beat them 16 -1. 

The game had to be stopped due to the run-a-head rule, whereby if another team has a difference of 15 points in the third inning against the other, the game would be automatically stopped.

For his part, BSA Northern Zone chairperson, Justus Kuswane said he was disappointed by the standard of play of some teams, which was really below par.  Kuswane said he thought that since the prize money has gone up, even the standard of play would be better. 

This season, he added they would have six teams both men and women namely Carats, Rebels, Raptures, Rail Giants, Motlakase and Comets and for the ladies teams, Carats, Raptures, Rail Giants, Motlakase, Comets and Wipers teams.

He said this season, Francistown Scramblers teams for men and ladies, together with Selebi Phikwe Wipers men would not compete since they are BDF sponsored teams.

Kuswane also noted that only Mahalapye based Rail Giants both ladies and men’s teams would not be included in the fixtures this year because they had a car accident recently, where seven of their players were seriously injured and are still recovering. He encouraged teams to work harder so as to be in the top eight. ENDS