The 2004B Islanders capped off a remarkable season by winning the silver medal in the silver pool of Softball B.C. U12B Provincial Championships.
Battling against opponents with a majority of 2003 born players, the first-year Islander team displayed the kind of character, determination and grit needed to be successful.
Friday morning saw the Islanders win their first game against the ’03 Invaders, then lose a tough afternoon contest to the ’03 Fury.
Richmond won a 22-21 nail-biter marathon Saturday morning against the Thunderbirds from Prince George, before dropping another hard battle to the ’03 Islanders. The 2-2 record moved the team into the Silver pool in a single knockout format.
The first game Sunday morning saw the Islanders play a complete game against the ’04 Invaders with some excellent pitching from Megan and Alyssa, strong defensive play from catcher Jennifer and Kendall and a grand slam by Emma which ignited the offence.
By winning this game, the girls were guaranteed at least a bronze medal due to their placement in the round robin seeding.
The Islanders’ tenacity and flare for the dramatic resulted in a great battle against a strong team from Lake View Heights, eventually winning 7-6 to secure a berth in the gold medal game.
The pace with which outfielders Savanna, Tia, Hailey and Rain were able to relay the ball into infielders Christina, Tamara and Sara held the opponents to no extra bases. This was huge contributing factor to the narrow outcome.
In the final, the Islanders were up against a well-rested and hungry team from Vancouver Island.
Faced with heat, exhaustion and fatigue from the two-plus hour previous game, this group of 12 young ladies never gave up.
They battled from the start and carried through with a never die attitude. In the end, the Islanders could not muster enough energy to overcome the deficit.
They came up a little short for the gold medal but the 12 players never quit and played like champions. They displayed great teamwork, determination, tenacity, and a will to battle on.
This year’s team consisted of many great kids whom made this season a remarkable one — capturing two post-season silver medals, one at the Lower Mainland Cup and the provincials.
Congratulations to coaches Kenny, Denny, David and assistants, Amy, Shelby, Ellen, and Isla for an amazing season. Also to team members Emma, Jennifer, Alyssa, Megan, Tamara, Sara, Kendall, Savanna, Christina, Hailey, Tia and Rain for a memorable 2015 campaign.
