Adam Prudhomme
Editor
A strong showing at the PWSA ‘A’ Provincial Grand Championship in Stratford netted the U15 Napanee Express girls a bronze medal.
That finish in itself would have been a great way to wrap up an outstanding season on the ball diamond-but then the news quickly got even better. After returning home they received a call from the PSWA, inviting them to take part in the Eastern Canadians, this coming weekend in Quebec. They accepted and they’ll now have a chance to add to their hardware, facing off against some of the country’s best U15 teams, Aug. 24 to 27.
Napanee began their weekend at the Grand Championships with a strong start, defeating the Huron Perth Nationals 10-4, followed by a 7-1 win over Barrie. A 2-2 tie in their third game placed the Express second at the end of pool play.
In the playoff bracket they dropped their opener 6-3 to the Brantford Bobcats, meaning they had to travel to another diamond and get right back on the field for a must-win game. The Express were up for the challenge, beating the Barrie Storm 11-6.
With no time to celebrate, they were right back on the field, squaring off against the Haldimand Heat. Napanee was able to rally in their final at-bat to secure a 6-5 win and advance to the bronze medal game.
Unfortunately that’s where their tournament came to a close, falling to the Halton Hawks 9-3.
At the time it appeared as though that’s where the season would end for Napanee. Instead this group has one more major tournament this summer, looking to add another accolade at the Eastern Canadians. Earlier this summer they went undefeated at the provincial qualifier, which was played in Napanee. They also captured first at a tournament in Cobourg at the start of the season.
Finlay Paul, Hailey Bruce, Reese Hutcheson, Karly Guindon, Gracie Thompson, Brynn Woodcock, Isla Dixon, Shayla Huych, Eden Howes, Peyton Brooks, Maddy Flear, Shyann Whan and Marley Heyman.