Softball: Black Sox dismantle Pacific rivals

The Black Sox showed few signs of rustiness in winning the Pacific Series in Rotorua yesterday, almost a year after their last date with the diamond in the world championship final.

The New Zealand side, under new coach Eddie Kohlhase, emerged easy victors against Japan in the final of the five-team competition. It was a quiet and clinical game from the Black Sox, who were never really under pressure.

"The previous two times we played Japan we really used a power game against them," Kohlhase said.

"Today we reverted to option B and we stole a lot and bunted a lot and really introduced a different facet to the Black Sox style of play which is something we will need going forward."

The New Zealanders scored a run in each of the first four innings and two in the sixth.

The Japanese changed pitchers three times but could not stop their rivals' calculated performance.

Patrick Shannon got things rolling in the bottom of the first, sending the ball out to right field, which got Thomas Makea home.

Brad Rona then crossed home on a Taifai Matai hit in the second. Rona was hit home again in the bottom of the sixth, running in off a Nathan Nukunuku hit. Makea sneaked in off a Martin hit in the bottom of the third.

The biggest hit of the match came in fourth, when Donny Hale unleashed one of his famous bombs over the fence. New Zealand's final run was acquired in the bottom of the sixth off a Matai hit which got Rhys Casley home.

One of the standout performers of the final and the tournament was veteran pitcher Marty Grant, 38, who decided to come back to the game after retiring last year.

Grant, who missed last year's world championships with a calf injury, pitched 10 strikeouts and gave away just four hits in the final.

In the tournament he pitched three whole games (against Japan, Samoa and Australia) and two innings against Japan in the round-robin competition and never gave away a run.

"He was retiring last year. We got him back in October and put out a programme really peaking for today and [it's] just a credit to Marty," Kohlhase said. "You have to hold him up as a shining example."

The top batter of the series was Rona, with an average .643. Black Sox catcher and power-hitter Shannon was named the most valuable player of the tournament.

The Black Sox played eight games in the tournament. Their only hiccup came at the hands of Samoa, who upset them 2-1 in their final round-robin match on Saturday night, which was shortened to five innings.

"That format didn't really suit our style of play but we went out and they beat us, so good on them," said Kohlhase.

Apart from the series win another positive to come out of the tournament was the fact that all 20 players in the Black Sox squad took to the field at some stage during the four-day tournament.

"I was really impressed with Rhys Casley, he is a world-class player. He has fitted into our team really well," Kohlhase said.

Next on the agenda for the Black Sox is an offseason tour, but it has yet to be decided whether they will head to Europe or Japan.

A Commonwealth series is then planned in Australia next January, followed by next year's Evodrive Series in Japan.

"With the emergence of a couple of these nations, predominantly Samoa and Australia, softball is starting to gain some real international exposure so we are rapt," Kohlhase said.

Samoa finished the tournament third, Australia fourth and the All Stars fifth.

Yesterday's action

* Semifinal: Japan 4 Samoa 0

* Final: New Zealand 6 Japan 0