Under-12 Ridge Meadows Pride crowned provincial softball champions

Ridge Meadows Pride 2009s under-12 team has bagged the provincial title in the softball tournament held this month.

On Aug. 8, the 2021 BC Softball Championship game, held at the Albion Sports Complex had the local team playing against the Tricity Titans 2009s and winning the game 11-0, said Katelyn Ross, head coach.

The championship game was part of a larger three-day tournament involving a total of eight under-12 girls softball teams, namely Tricity Titans 2009s, Tricity Titans 2010s, White Rock Renegades 2009s, White Rock Renegades 2010s, Fraser Valley Fusion 2009s, Fraser Valley Fusion 2010s, Cloverdale Fury 2009s and of course, the Ridge Meadows Pride 2009s.

Ridge Meadows Pride won the game behind the pitching of Kira McIntyre, who pitched four scoreless innings, and Julia Waterman, who completed the shutout by pitching the last inning.

“The final game was tight until the top of the fifth when our girls batted around and we scored 7 runs to go ahead 11-0. Every girl contributed with either a hit, a run or a great defensive play in the final and it was a true full team effort,” said the coach of the team comprising of Holly Ross, Bella Rose Tyson, Jada Manion, Kira McIntyre, Amarah Hunter, Aden MacDonald, Rhaya Mooney, Bella Graham, Angeli Lopez-Lee, Karley Vukonic, Julia Waterman and Sara MacDonald.

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Through the course of the entire tournament the girls played four round robin seeding games before going in to the Double Elimination playoffs to play for the Provincial Title. They went 4-0 in the round robin and beat the Renegades 2009s 7-0, Fusion 2010s 8-1, Titans 2010 16-5 and Fusion 2009s 6-1 during the round robin.

During the round robin, for each game an MVP was named, and Bella Rose Tyson, Angeli Lopez-Lee, Holly Ross and Julia Waterman from the team were named MVPs. Each won a hand-signed gift from Olympic bronze medalist and Maple Ridge resident, Larissa Franklin.

The team went into the playoff round, placed second, and won their first two games against the Titans 2010s (10-0) and the Fusion 2009s (7-0) which set them up for a Winners Bracket final against the Titans 2009s. According to the coaches, it was a great game, but the Ridge Meadows Pride 2009s team came up short 5-4 which meant the girls had to battle back to get another chance against the Titans 2009s to win the championship.

Just 20 minutes after that game, the Pride were back on the field playing the Renegades 2009s for the chance to go back to the final.

Ross said that during the playoffs, Bella Graham crushed three home runs which helped propel the team offensively, and infielders Karley Vukonic, Rhaya Mooney and Sara MacDonald all made “stellar” defensive plays to keep the Pride in games. Not to be outdone, outfielders Aden MacDonald, Jada Manion and Amarah Hunter all contributed both offensively and with great plays in the outfield, said the coach.

“It was a great way to finish a season for a team that worked so hard this year and last, even with the pandemic to get better. They finished with a record of 25 wins and four losses while scoring 292 runs (over 10 a game) and giving up only 56 runs (less than 2 a game),” Ross said.

The team, coached by Katelyn Ross, Kelly Stead, Kelsey Morgan and Maya Van Der Mey, will now be taking a “well-deserved” three-week break. The players will be back to tryouts for the 2021-22 season on Sept. 7 and then will prepare to defend the championship next season.

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