Heat rolls to title
Summerside outscores opponents 36-10 to win under-16 provincial championship
The Summerside Heat went undefeated to capture gold medals during the Softball P.E.I. under16 girls’ provincial championship in Charlottetown during the weekend.
Summerside went 3-0 in preliminary round play to win their pool, defeated Tignish Team One in the semifinal 3-0 and West Royalty Team One 4-0 in the championship game.
“The girls played so well defensively all weekend long,” said co-coach Cindy MacLeod. “We really focused on making sure we were being smart with the ball and forcing our opponents to earn every base and that’s what the girls did. That, along with some timely hits, great base running and solid pitching allowed us to reach our goal of winning the provincial championship.”
The semifinal was scoreless until Summerside scored two runs on a Tignish error in the top of the fourth and added another in the top of the fifth for a 3-0 win.
Andrea Caron pitched a complete game shutout for the Heat, scattering up two hits and a walk while striking out 17. Marley Gaudet suffered the loss, giving up four hits and five walks while striking out 12.
The finals included both No. 1 seeds after round-robin play with the Heat taking on West Royalty Team One, which booked its spot in the championship game by defeating West Royalty Team Two.
The Heat jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning as Karley McCourt and Caron both crossed the plate. Game MVP Maddie McGregor scored in the third to make it 3-0 on a couple of West Royalty throwing errors. The Heat added one more run in the fourth for the 4-0 victory.
Natalie Caron led the Heat offensively, going 2-for-2 with two singles and two RBI.
The Heat was solid defensively and once again got a great pitching performance from Andrea Caron, who threw a two-hitter with two walks and 16 strikeouts. Ashley Cullen took the loss, giving up eight hits and a walk while recording 12 strikeouts.