It was originally planned for today, Monday, and our first thought was, “what a waste of a real opportunity for showtime in sports.” But, thankfully, it seems that wiser heads have prevailed. Yesterday, during the Press Sports Show on Krem Radio, Fresca Lady Rebels owner/manager Leslie Rogers called to inform us that the fifth and deciding game in the best-of-5 games Finals series for the Belize City Female Softball championship takes place this Friday, July 26, at Rogers Stadium, beginning at 6:30 p.m.

That is because defending Belize City champions, Fresca Lady Rebels, who trailed national champions Belize Telemedia by 2 games to 1 going into last Friday’s Game 4 encounter, pulled out a narrow victory to tie the series at 2 games apiece and force a deciding Game 5 .

For the past few years, Belize City softball has been all about the rivalry between Hall of Famer Raymond Lashley’s team, Belize Telemedia, and the Fresca Lady Rebels team belonging to former football star Leslie Rogers. Telemedia is a star studded squad, featuring a number of All Belize players, while the Lady Rebels depend heavily on the stellar pitching of ace Lanisha Jones and the enthusiasm of a strong fan base. Lashley has been missing from the Telemedia dugout lately, reportedly due to illness. Our best wishes for a speedy recovery to brother Raymond, so he can be at the helm of his team in the critical Game 5 for the championship this Friday.

Nevertheless, with the likes of Norecia Frazier, Lydia Cacho, Martha Rhys, Barbara Cadle, Kenisha Sutherland, Mary Flowers and Earline Belisle in the Telemedia batting line-up, the Lady Rebels would have to be considered underdogs going into the grand finale on Friday.

P.S. We have not yet received the official report on last Friday night’s game, but we saw some of the last couple innings, and it was “down to the wire” at the Stadium, ending 5-4. Game 5 should be a dandy.