Adam Prudhomme
Editor
Napanee’s U15 Express girls will play host to a Provincial Women’s Softball Association qualifier this weekend, welcoming 13 teams from across Ontario’s east region.
Games will be played at the Napanee Fairgrounds throughout the weekend, with the Express opening their tournament against Port Perry at 6:30 p.m. Friday.
Teams will be playing for seeding at the provincial grand championships, with a top four finish earning a trip to the ‘A’ bracket, teams five through eight qualifying for ‘B’ and the remaining five headed to ‘C’. The grand championships will take place Aug. 5-7 in Stratford.
“We’ve had one successful tournament where we lost in the finals,” said Express coach Shawn Hutcheson. “We’ve won more than we’ve lost this year. This season’s went pretty well so far and we’re hoping to go top four this weekend.”
A top four finish would mark the first time this group has qualified for the ‘A’ bracket. The strides they’ve made this year coupled with home field advantage this weekend gives them confidence they can achieve that goal.
“These girls have played some home games but most of them have been away,” said Hutcheson. “This will be a nice change for them.”
Rounding out this weekend’s tournament field will be three Port Perry entries, two teams from Whitby, Barrie, Stittsville, Westport, Cobourg, Oshawa, Clarington and Greater Kingston Softball Association.
Win or lose their first game, Napanee will be back on the diamond 11 a.m. Saturday-though which diamond and against which opponent depends on the outcome of Friday’s match.
The championship game is set for 3 p.m. on Sunday.