Adam Prudhomme
Editor
In an ordinary qualifying tournament, a coach’s biggest question following a win is which pitcher to pencil in for the next game.
This being 2021 however where nothing is quite like normal, coaches are left wondering when their next qualifying game will even take place.
Such is life for teams like the U19 Napanee Express girls, who are in the midst of playdown brackets. Rather than one weekend qualifier to earn a trip to Eastern Canadians, it’s instead been stretched out into games throughout the month of July and into August, with the provincial finals scheduled for Aug. 7-8.
After beginning the season not even knowing if there would be a season, the Provincial Women’s Softball Association had to work quickly to develop a return to play game plan when sports were given the green light by the Ontario government.
Scheduling the games has been easier said than done however as rainouts and work schedules have made it difficult for teams to find game dates that work for everyone.
Payton Barkley of the U19 Napanee Express delivers a pitch during an exhibition game at North Fred.
The Express’ Tier 1 U19 girls won their first bracket game against Ottawa 8-1 and then were awarded a forfeit victory when Aurora was unable to find a date to play. Napanee is now awaiting the winner of Cobourg and UTM East but still have no indication on when that game will be. There’s even been talk of scheduling a more traditional tournament in Cobourg for the final weekend in July in an attempt to get all the games played ahead of the provincial final-but that’s still yet to be confirmed.
“It’s a weird year, but at least they’re playing,” said Express coach Scott Morrow. “Last year they didn’t have anything to play for. This is the last year for at least half the team so the goal is to get to the Easterns. We won it two years ago so we’re going to try and win it again. If we can get there, one step at a time.”
Softball Napanee has two teams, a Tier 1 and Tier 2 club, competing at the U19 level in the Ontario East division, which is comprised of 12 teams. In the western part of the province there are 14 teams also taking part in a similar bracket style playdown. The winner of each division is scheduled to meet in a best of three series Aug. 7-8 to play for the provincial title. Regardless of the outcome, both teams will advance to the Eastern Canadians, which will be held in Charlottetown, PEI, Aug. 26-29.
“We have a core that’s been there for a long time, since they were five years old,” said Morrow. “We’ve added some good pieces, there was a Kingston team that folded so I’ve got four Kingston Cobras that have come to play. That really helps keep us strong. They’re good players they’ve filled in for players that have graduated or left.”
Morrow is hoping for a storybook ending for his players who are in their final year.
“If we play like we can, we’re as good as anyone in the province. It’s ball though, you never know,” said Morrow.