'Outstanding' Marty Grant goes out a winner

REUTERS

GRANT'S GOODBYE: New Zealand pitcher Marty Grant hurls down one of his last pitches at the world softball championships in Saskatoon.

REUTERS

GRANT'S GOODBYE: New Zealand pitcher Marty Grant hurls down one of his last pitches at the world softball championships in Saskatoon.

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Black Sox coach Eddie Kohlhase has advised his senior players to let the disappointment of losing their world title dissipate before calling "time" on their international softball careers.

But veteran pitcher Marty Grant, 43, has already said the Saskatoon world series was likely to be his last after a New Zealand career stretching back 19 years.

Kohlhase put aside the sadness of failing to win a fourth world crown to lavishly praise Grant, of Nelson, who pitched the Black Sox into yesterday's final with a 8-5 win over bronze medallists Canada.

"If that's the last game Marty pitches [for New Zealand], then I couldn't actually script a better finish for him. He was outstanding.

"I think [his career] has been immense. He's been phenomenal for us the last couple of years [since coming out of retirement]."

Grant, who pitched a no-hitter when the Black Sox won the 2000 world final, now "rates right up there with the best we've ever had", said Kohlhase, citing a galaxy of star pitchers such as Kevin Herlihy, Owen Walford, Michael White and Chubb Tangaroa.

"He's in fantastic company. Marty's a very proud New Zealander, a very emotional man, who takes great pride in putting on the black top."

Grant, who missed the 2004 tournament victory through injury, wanted to go out a winner in Saskatoon in front of his wife Abbie, who has survived breast cancer surgery, and his son Cooper, 5.

He did as the Black Sox beat Canada with Grant throwing 112 pitches for four strikeouts and seven safe hits.

Kohlhase said Grant was available for the final but the coaches felt it was "asking too much for him to front up again after he went the whole game against Canada".

They had "two fresh pitchers" in Heinie Shannon and Jeremy Manley and had started with left-hander Shannon.

"We wanted a good start and we saw Heinie as a guy who could hit good spots."

Kohlhase said New Zealand's pitching was a little inconsistent at times during the week but he felt Shannon and Manley had done reasonably well in the final.

The defeat is the end of an era for the Black Sox, who had won three consecutive gold medals since 1996.

Many of the key players, including captain Jarrad Martin, Thomas Makea, Brad Rona and Donny Hale, are in their mid-30s.

Kohlhase expects "a few of these guys will probably finish" before the next world championships in 2013.

Kohlhase said the loss did not change the fact "that this is a very good side".

"To climb the mountain four times, for some of them, is such a huge ask. I don't think people really appreciate the psychological effort that's gone into them being here and performing like they have done this week."

- © Fairfax NZ News