Kaiapoi celebrate first women’s softball title
The Kaiapoi Queens women’ softball team have ticked off two of their season goals and now have their sights set on the big national prize.
They celebrated their maiden Canterbury championship premier grade title last Saturday after winning February’s Fastball 45 modified softball finals.
Coach Mike McDowell set the national open championships starting on Thursday in Lower Hutt as one of the Queens’ three goals
‘‘We’ve got the big one this week when we go to the big pond and test ourselves against the best teams in the country.’’
While the ultimate achievement would be winning a national crown, McDowell was initially ‘‘targeting the top-six’’ playoffs to give his side a title shot.
In the meantime, Kaiapoi are revelling from winning their first Canterbury title after a couple of runner-up finishes in the past. The Queens beat the Halswell Hornets 4-1 and 6-4 in a finals series at Kaiapoi’s Norman Kirk Park on Saturday.
Kaiapoi brought Wellingtonbased pitcher Amber Schisler down for finals weekend, and she did not disappoint with both bat and ball.
The American college graduate snagged six strikeouts in the 4-1 opening game win and then belted a two-run home run for the decisive runs in the second encounter.
McDowell said he was ‘‘very proud’’ of his team and said it was ‘‘really special to have our matua, Wayne Richardson and [wife] Geri there to share it with us’’.
‘‘They’re pretty much the founding members of our club, and you could see the smiles on their faces.’’
‘‘It’s a big thing for the club.’’ McDowell was also thrilled that the Queens still have ‘‘five or six of original players from when we started out six or seven years ago’’.
Winning the title was great for the likes of Nerissa
McDowell, Raina Joseph and Katelyn Bayer who ‘‘are still in our team and have put in a lot of work over the years’’.
Also in the dugout was longtime pitcher Lauren Sutherland, who has taken time out this season, but ‘‘was a big part of us getting to where we are’’, coach McDowell said.
He put Kaiapoi’s success this season down to tight defence, and said they were again ‘‘virtually error-free’’ in the finals series.
‘‘We weren’t at our best, but we played well enough to win the games. Halswell were there to fight, they weren’t going to relinquish their title easily, it was close.’’
Both sides collected seven hits apiece in game one, but the Queens were in charge all the way, with Manawa Ruki leading the way in the batter’s box.
Schisler faced 29 batters for six strikeouts, three walks and seven hits while Ruki had Kaiapoi’s top average with .666 after two hits from three at-bats.
Game two was a closer-run affair until Amber Schisler settled it with her big two-run homer with catcher Lindsay Thomas on base in the top of the seventh inning.
Young Kaiapoi pitcher McKenzie Bailey-McDowell held her nerve, and her field backed her up, as Halswell mounted a comeback.
Kaiapoi will again go head-tohead with Halswell in the same section (Pool C) of the 15-team national tournament.
It has been 20 years since the last Canterbury team (Christchurch United) won the national women’s interclub title.