The Beachin’ PWSA Saugeen Shores U13 Junior Sting took part in the Guelph Gators Classic the first weekend in July. First up was Halton Hawks Senior. The Sting had trouble getting their bats going this game, with the Halton pitchers throwing a no hitter. The Sting pitchers held their own on the mound, with Avery Sachs, Marisa Barfoot, Julia Foster and Aadi Kidd all taking a turn. In the end, lack of hitting and errors in the field saw the Sting go down 11-2.
The Sting regrouped the next morning to take on a tier one team from Etobicoke. The girls knew they could play better and readied themselves for battle, with the focus on clean play in the field and making contact at bat. Aadi took the mound for the first 4 innings and held this strong hitting Etobicoke team to just 6 runs. Hits by Avery, Charlotte Fitzsimmons and Camilla Cameron lead to a tie game going into the bottom of the fifth. Singles by Addison Kuntz, Alison Thede and Charlotte put the Sting in the lead. Marisa came in to pitch in relief and shut the door. Sting came out victorious 7-5!
Next up for the Sting was a battle with Kitchener. The girls were riding high from their big win against Etobicoke and continued to play a solid game. Marisa and Addison took the mound, shutting down the Kitchener bats. The Sting girls, on the other hand, got their bats going in a big way. Julia led the way with three hits, a double and two singles. Camilla and Avery both had triples. Addison had two singles and Charlotte, Aadi and Avery each collected one single. The Sting finished with a convincing 20-2 win. This moved the girls into a three way tie for first after pool play. Once all the tie breakers were figured out, the Sting finished in second place.
Second place meant the team faced Niagara Falls in the playoff round. This game went 7 whole innings, with Aadi, Avery and Marisa sharing pitching duties. Hits were not as plentiful as the game before. Camilla lead the way with two hits and Charlotte had one. The defence made some spectacular plays during the game. Alison made a heads up play at third, catching a line drive and tagging third to complete a double play. Avery and Charlotte both made solid defence plays at short stop. Addison made a leaping catching in centre field to end the 7th. In the end the Sting fell 12-2.
The Sting were up bright and early to take on Leamington Sunday morning. The girls were ready to go, as they knew a loss meant the end of the tournament. Aadi and Marisa shared the pitching duties and only allowed four runs, striking out four batters each. Charlotte lead the way at the plate with two singles. Avery and Aadi both collected doubles and Addison had a single. Strong defence again came through in this game. Lundyn Carr caught a line drive at first and quickly touched her bag to double up the runner on first. An amazing relay from Addison in centre field, to Avery at second, to Camilla at home resulted in out at home and no home run for a Leamington player. At catcher, Charlotte threw down to Julia at third and caught a girl trying to steal. Final score was 8-4 for the Sting.
The next game saw a rematch versus Etobicoke. The Sting ladies were looking for another upset. Aadi went four solid innings, holding the strong hitters to just 3 runs. Going into the fifth,Sting were down 3-1. The Sting played excellent defence again. Avery, in centre field, made a great relay to Reese Martindale on second, who threw down the tag to catch the girl trying to advance to second. Reese also made a huge catch in left field. Alison and Camilla caught a girl in a pickle, as she tried to advance home on a bunt. The girls said, “Not today,” and chased her down to tag her out. A few costly errors in the bottom of the fifth saw the Etobicoke team take a commanding lead and the Sting just could not get the bats going. The final score was 9-1 for Etobicoke.
It was a great weekend of ball, with great weather and great teammates. The girls had lots to be proud of and we will continue working towards the Provincial Qualifier weekend here in Saugeen Shores at the Lamont Sports Park. The girls play Friday, July 26 at 6:00. Come out and cheer these ball players on! Go Sting!
