Adam Prudhomme
Editor
Napanee’s U15 Express capped a perfect week at the U15 Fast Pitch Canadians with an 8-0 win over the host Wilmot Thunder in the gold medal game.
The Express scored early and often with at least one run in every inning, needing just five frames to secure the mercy win. Dylan Kemp and Brody Nielissen each drove in a pair while Deke Osterhout had one. From the pitcher’s circle Kemp tossed five scoreless innings for the win.
Napanee went 9-0 at the tournament, relying on their depth to stay hot throughout the five-day tournament.
“This week was really a full team effort,” said Express head coach Scott Thompson. “This team was as close and supportive as any team I’ve seen over the years. In the seven games of the round robin we had wins from five different pitchers (Kayden Thompson, Logan Willis, Finn Barton, Jacob Moore and Dylan Kemp) which helped us save Dylan’s arm for the big games which was our plan going into the tournament.”
After running the table in the round robin, the Express had the chance to play for a direct trip to the gold medal game, facing off against the Thunder. This time it was a little more tense, but Napanee was able to hold on for the 6-5 win. Kemp pitched all seven innings for the win.
Kemp’s efforts when it mattered most earned him the Playoff MVP award. Also earning recognition from the Express were round robin all-stars Nielissen (outfield), Kemp (second base), Finn Barton (utility) and Owen Kish (first base). Kish was also named the top batter of the round robin and MVP.
All told the Express outscored their opponents 78-14 over their nine games, earning shutouts in three of those matchups.
“These boys put in a lot of extra work over the season by doing a couple online mental performance sessions with Gillian King and Rachel Matheson-Green from Ottawa,” said Thompson. “They also had extra hitting practices and an online hitting session by Dallas Kipfer current U23 Team Canada player. They deserve every bit of that gold medal and we were very lucky to be able to coach such a great group of athletes but most importantly great young men.”