Adam Prudhomme
Editor
From a last minute invite to Eastern Canadian champions-the U15 Napanee Express girls ended their season in the most thrilling way possible.
Napanee went 6-1 on the weekend in Chateauguay, QC, defeating the host Dragons du Sud-Ouest 10-3 in the gold medal game.
Napanee entered the 12-team tournament as Ontario’s third seed, facing off against teams from Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and PEI.
Napanee quickly proved they belonged, rolling their way to Sunday’s gold medal final.
The Express rallied for four runs in the third inning of Sunday’s game, ignited by Shyann Whann’s RBI single. Gracie Thompson broke it open with a three-run triple and the Express never looked back. Express starter Peyton Brooks struck out six over five innings, allowing just four hours and three runs, just one of them earned.
Napanee’s patience at the plate paid off, working Dragon pitching for nine walks on the game with Findlay Paul, Reese Hutcheson and Karly Guindon each drawing two walks each.
For Napanee the win puts a nice bow on an incredible season that saw them peak at the right time.
Earlier this month the Express girls placed third at the PWSA ‘A’ Provincial Grand Championships, held in Stratford.
Napanee was set to end their season on that bronze medal-winning note before getting an invite to take part in the Eastern Canadians. They gladly accepted and went from the last team added to the field to the last team standing.