Subway Sluggers win silver medal
Cheers finishes fifth at World Masters Games
The Subway Sluggers are coming home with silver medals from the World Masters Games in Auckland, New Zealand.
Loss of Gravity, a team from Vancouver Island, scored six runs in the bottom of the fifth Saturday to seal an 11-4 victory over the Sluggers in the gold medal game in the 45 and older recreational softball division. Loss of Gravity (8-0) went undefeated to win the championship.
“The team played with a lot heart and character this week,” said Sluggers coach Doris MacKinnon. “They dug deep for a couple of come-from-behind wins and fell short on this one. We are very proud of our accomplishment.”
The final was the Sluggers eighth straight game against a Canadian team, as Canada swept the medals in the division.
Loss of Gravity scored single runs in the first two innings to take a 2-0 lead. It could have been more but Carol Lilly made a shoestring catch in the second, threw to second base for the second out and the ball was thrown to first to complete the rare triple play.
Subway scored three runs in the top of the third on four consecutive singles from Darlene Hackett, Sandy Marcoux, Janet Nichols and Tracy Arsenault to take a 3-2 lead. The West Coast squad responded with three in
“The team played with a lot heart and character this week.” Doris MacKinnon
the bottom of the third to take a 5-3 lead.
Hackett drew a leadoff walk in the top of the fifth and scored from first on Nichols’ double to pull within one, but that was as close as they would come.
Tammy Murphy took the loss. Arsenault, Wilma Ramsay and Nichols each went 2-for-3 while Hackett was 1-for-2 and Marcoux was 1-for-3.
“I am so pleased with how the team played in winning a silver medal in a 24-team competition,” said coach Carol Mayne. “It is very satisfying after all our hard work and preparation.”
Cheers, a team also comprised of players from Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick, finished the competition by defeating the Runamux from New Zealand 10-1 to clinch fifth place.
Della Sweet won the final game, allowing four hits in the five-inning game called on the seven-run mercy rule.
France Bourque went 2-for-2 to pace the offence while Tammy Gallant was 2-for-3.
Cheers had a strong 7-1 showing, with the one loss coming against the Sluggers in a quarter-final called after four innings due to time. The only team with a better record in this division was Loss of Gravity.