Girls up to bat at KPR three-pitch tournament
Grade 7 and 8 players from 16 teams compete
The Kawartha Pine Ridge Elementary Association Three-Pitch tournament was hosted at Bowers Park on Friday with lots of cheering from parents and teammates.
“There are two divisions, one is competitive and one is recreational. The difference between the divisions is that the rec division doesn’t keep score or play any finals,” convenor Mike Mcnamara explained.
The one-day tournament ran from 9:30 to 1:30 p.m., with 16 teams on the roster, all coming from Kawartha-Pine Ridge public schools.
There are eight teams in each division with four teams in pool A and four teams in pool B. Before entering the tournament, each school decided whether to enter as a competitive or rec team.
The teams are made up of grades 7 and 8 girls and practice for about a month before this tournament.
“This tournament gives them the chance to come and learn from just being here and playing games,” said Lakefield coach Laurie Darling.
In pool A, Lakefield took the number one spot by winning two out of three pool play games with only one loss to Chemong with a score of 4-5.
In pool B, Adam Scott won all three games, finishing first in pool play.
A huge upset occurred during the quarterfinals between Adam Scott and Chemong.
Adam Scott was the favoured team to win since they demolished all the teams in pool play — but Chemong, who finished last in pool play, knocked Adam Scott out of the semi-finals.
North shore beat Chemong 13 to 5 and Westmount beat Lakefield 11 to 6 in the semifinals, while Westmount best North Shore 5 to 4 for the championship.
Adam Scott came 5th and Millbrook 6th.
Two girls on James Strath’s three-pitch team, Tieler Laurie and Bridget Masterson, came out of the baseball diamond with smiles from ear-to-ear.
Darling explained how this tournament is great because it allows for young athletes, who may have never experienced a tournament or played with a team, gain that experience and have fun doing it.