The 2001 Richmond Islanders capped off a great Canada Day Weekend by capturing bronze at the Lower Mainland Tournament in North Delta.
The girls rep “B” fastpitch team, led by coaches Greg Dee and Eric Gee, went 3-1 in round-robin play — outscoring their opponents 35-10 in the process to secure the top seed for the playoffs.
The Islanders played the Coquitlam Classics in the semi-finals in what proved to be a terrific pitching match-up.
Richmond’s Megan Saez Co worked seven strong innings, striking out six batters and allowing no earned runs. The Classics pitcher held the potent Islanders bats at bay, with the exception of the their first two batters — Pruistin Ramadhan and Jessica Gee, who went a combined 5-6 at the plate. Unfortunately, the game was decided in the last inning in which the Classics scored the only runs in a 2-0 victory.
In the bronze medal game, the Islanders faced the South Delta Invaders in another closely-contested match.
The Invaders grabbed an early 4-1 lead after two innings, however, in the bottom of the third, the Islanders tied it as Kate Dee led off the inning with a walk and a stolen base, before being driven home on a single by Ramadhan. Asha Pannu followed with a double, setting the stage for a two-run single from Katy Morris.
The Invaders took the lead again with a run in the top of the fourth but the Islanders quickly answered back with some great situational hitting.
Tjammie Ko led off with a walk and a stolen base. Gabby McCormick then advanced Ko to third on a sacrifice fly and Saez Co laid down a sacrifice bunt to bring her home.
In the bottom of the fifth, Dee led off with a single and stolen base, followed by Gee moving her to third on a grounder. Jessica Ryan then singled home Dee to give the Islanders their first lead.
The Invaders threatened to tie the game in the last inning with two runners in scoring position and only one out. However, Saez Co got a strike out and induced a routine grounder to preserve the 6-5 victory and secure the bronze medal.
It marked the fourth time in five years the Islanders have medaled in North Delta, with two golds, one silver and a bronze.
This achievement was truly a team effort but there were highlighted by some great performances.
Gee caught five of six games and led the team with a batting average of .730. She also scored seven runs and had three RBIs.
Ramadhan batted .530 and led the way with eight RBIs, two triples and two doubles; Morris, while pitching 5-1/3 scoreless innings, batted .500 with seven RBIs, one home run, one triple and a double.
Pannu batted .470 with five RBIs, two doubles and one triple; and Saez Co, who pitched in five of the six games, allowed only 10 earned runs while striking out 22.
The Islanders roster also features: Hannah Collins, Lila Crawford and Samantha Williams. Assistants Jeff Collins and Robertson Saez Co round out the coaching staff.
