Friday, February 7, 2025

BDF IX pushes Dinare on the brink of Top 8 exit

Two home runs by Neo Mnqibisi, coupled with a run apiece by Jury Manaka and Kagiso Mogale, have left Dinare at risk of exiting the BoFiNet Zone Southern Softball league log. 

The loss means Dinare, who are now pegged on position eight, after playing all their games, will have to put their fate on the hands of rivals if they harbor any title ambitions. With their immediate competitors for the final top 8 slot, namely BMC Rivals and UB Giants still to finish off their games this coming weekend, Dinare went into the game knowing only a win would guarantee their top 8 bid. Things however did not go the way Dinare would have wanted as a Mnqibisi led BDF IX put them to the sword. With BDF IX batting first, Dinare managed to ensure their rivals made no runs in the first innings. However, when called on to bat, Dinare floundered and could not also muster a run. 

Mnqibisi then had other ideas in the second inning as he hit Phillip Tshambani’s pitch over the perimeter fence to give his team a lead. The run would be the only one of the second innings between the two teams as Dinare yet again failed to register a run. With neither of the two teams, in particular Dinare, not managing to score any runs in the third and fourth innings, BDF IX then extended their lead on the fifth over through Mogale while Dinare failed to respond. If Dinare had any hopes of a comeback, they were dealt a blow on the sixth innings as BDF IX tightened their stranglehold in the game courtesy of Mnqibisi and Manaka. After miscommunication saw the Dinare fielders fail to catch a routine ball from Manaka’s batting, it was Mnqibisi who was tasked with seeing his team home and he did not disappoint. The latter hit yet another pitch from Tshamabani over the perimeter to ensure BDF IX scored two more runs and extend their lead to four runs. The runs sealed the fate of Dinare as the team failed to score any runs when called respond in bottom six innings, while the seventh and last innings produced no runs for both teams and BDF IX won the game 4 ÔÇô 0. With Dinare having now finished playing their games, they will now cast their eyes on their rivals to see if they can falter and give them a top 8 lifeline, a fate which seems very unlikely as both BMC Rivals and UB Giants have to meet again this coming weekend in a race for the last top 8 slot. The two teams will face off this coming Saturday in a game that will decide both their fates as well as the fate of Dinare. The top 8 teams from the Southern Zone will be joined by the top 4 teams from the Northern Zone to fight for the BoFiNet Softball league championship. 

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