A North Shore fastpitch team that has been swinging at windmills together for years finally connected last weekend, winning the provincial title.
The North Shore Stars Girls 2000 Rep B squad claimed gold at the Softball B.C. U16B Provincial Championship tournament over the weekend, capping the event with a 5-3 win over the South Delta Invaders. It was a sweet win for the Stars, many of whom have been playing together for nearly a decade.
“I’ve coached 12 years of softball and 10 years of baseball and this team is the most exceptional team I’ve ever seen,” said head coach Marty Morrison. “We were just looking at photos of them together back when they were eight. That would be eight years ago that a lot of the girls started playing.”
The Stars were carried to the title by pitcher Hannah Richards who threw every inning in four straight playoff wins, scoring three straight shutouts on the way to the final before holding back the Invaders in the championship game played Sunday at Richmond’s London Park.
“She is an amazing pitcher and has the greatest relaxed attitude I’ve ever seen in pressure situations,” said Morrison, adding that Richards put in a lot of extra work the past couple of years increasing her speed and adding pitches to her repertoire. “It’s a great dynamic when she’s on the mound. … Everyone believes that we can do anything when she’s (pitching).”
At the dish the Stars were led by third base Kinley Morrison who drove in the winning run in the final with a two-RBI single in the fifth inning. Catcher Janine Polderman was a rock throughout the season, both when she was at the plate and behind it, said Morrison.
“Most of the girls we play against know her and won’t steal against our team because they know that she can pretty much throw them out at any base,” he said.
The Stars were at their best in the big moments, coming through the playoffs undefeated after finishing ranked fourth out of 16 teams in opening
round play.
“It was a very emotional, stressful event,” said Morrison, adding that the Stars, all age 15 or 16, toasted the championship win in entirely legal fashion.
“Apple champagne,” said Morrison with a laugh. “They can’t drink yet.”
The team was assembled all the way back in September and spent the winter honing their skills before hitting the diamond in the spring. All the extra work led them to claim their first provincial title as a group.
“They’ve just spent a lot of time getting better and better,” said Morrison. “They’ve worked really hard. We did a lot of extra hitting and practicing this offseason, so coming into it I think they were quite excited. They seemed to peak at the right time, all of them started to hit really well.”
The provincial championship win earned the Stars a berth in the Western Canadian Championships scheduled for August long weekend in St. Albert, Alta. The way the team is playing now has Morrison dreaming big for their final tournament.
“I actually could see us winning the whole thing,” he said. “Our hitting is so good and so deep compared to a lot of teams that it’s a tough team to pitch against. And we have the pitching depth to win any game. It just depends on each day how it goes.”
