Softball: Dynamic duo victorious again after two decades apart

By CHRIS RATTUE

It's been nearly 20 years since Jimmy Wana and Mark Sorenson combined to help New Zealand win the world junior softball title.

The old Hutt Valley mates went their different ways when they returned from the US in 1985, but events over the past few weeks reunited them yesterday.

In the intervening years Sorenson has become a great of the game, a hitter and catcher par-excellence. Leaving Mark Sorenson out of a World Series team would have been like standing in a batter's box without a bat and yesterday's win was his fourth world title.

But Wana, formerly known as Jimmy Seaman, watched a series of other pitchers dominate the New Zealand game.

Names such as Jackson, White, Tangaroa and Meredith made the world series lineups, while Wana failed to kick on as he might.

Christchurch was his first world series.

"I only wanted to be there if I deserved it," said Wana, after hurling New Zealand to their 9-5 victory and third consecutive world title yesterday.

"There have been some fantastic pitchers playing for New Zealand."

Wana quit softball in 1998 to set up a series of American sandwich franchises - he owns three and has joint ownership of three others.

He set his sights on a comeback two years ago, through domestic club softball, aiming for this world series.

But events over the past couple of weeks pitched him even further into a lead role. Firstly, Marty Grant suffered an injury just before the championships, forcing him out of the squad.

Then yesterday, in the grand final, coach Don Tricker pulled starter Michael Gaiger out of the game early after the Canadians stormed to a 3-1 lead.

Wana, with his old mate Sorenson behind the batter's plate, came through the biggest test of his career. In his case, he had saved the best for last, grabbing a world title at his first - and only - attempt.

With his trademark lazy waddle, Wana entered the game in the second innings and lasted the distance against the big bats of Canada.

Sorenson said: "He came in throwing hard and throwing strikes."

But this was a victory based on batting. These were the Bat Sox.

Tricker's catchword was "relentless"; he wanted opposing pitchers to feel the pressure with every pitch. And Sorenson, the brilliant veteran, led the way in the grand final.

He had been having trouble earlier in the tournament but, at the age of 36 and in his sixth world series, was still searching for the adjustments to find his batting form.

He moved his feet slightly away from the plate so he could fully extend his arms in the swing, and cracked a third innings home run off relief pitcher Nick Underhill, whom he had never faced before, to give New Zealand a three-run lead.

Sorenson, in what surely was his softball swan-song, finished with three hits from four and four runs batted in.

In the aftermath of victory, he copped a fat lip from a team-mate in the celebration huddle, a strange memento of world series victory.

But he was more successful deflecting questions about his retirement, playing it coy so as not to deflect attention from his team-mates.

After making a comeback from retirement for this world series, this surely was the end for him.

There's no doubt Sorenson's place in New Zealand softball history, and he is one of the great sportsmen this country has produced.

Just where softball lies in the general scheme of New Zealand sport, though, is a different matter.

While the Black Sox captured the world title, it might be argued the tournament did not quite capture the attention it might have.

Television is the driving force, and for much of the tournament the coverage was token.

It wasn't easy on the eye either.

Some bizarre graphics left the viewer with a feeling of being on the wrong end of a softball bat.

And whatever publicity softball generated for itself over the past 10 days or so, history says that even with the best will in the world, these good times don't last for sporting minnows.

For now though, it is a time to celebrate another world softball title.

After a fracas between the teams the night before, a couple of flash points in the grand final passed without escalating.

Canada certainly left with more dignity than they did from the world series in the Hutt Valley 28 years ago.

Then, after a washout on the final day, the title had to be shared between New Zealand, Canada and the United States after the Canadians asked for $10,000 to stay another day. New Zealand refused, and Canada left town.

Yesterday was also a time to reflect on a remarkable sporting career.

Tricker said of Sorenson: "Mark comes to play. He is an inspirational person."