The day was very warm and we were going to be playing the teams we had met in the Vaughan and Unionville tournaments. We were feeling something special was going to happen as the girls had some good practices with their house league teams and were in the middle of play-offs.

Game 1 vs Vaughan Jrs

We know we can compete with this team. Things started well and we scored 3 runs in our first at bats. Singles by Lexie M and Rebecca C plus some walks got us there. Unfortunately we left bases loaded. Vaughan came out strong – after an opening walk they strung 4 singles together and scored 5 runs. The second inning started well for Whitby again and this time we scored 5 runs (but again left bases loaded). The second at bat for Vaughan netted them 5 runs and Whitby just didn’t find the strike zone this inning. Strong base running and a keen eye by the Vaughan batters had them reaching base and then stealing their way home and their way to a 10 – 8 lead. The 3rd inning saw Whitby get only 1 run and again Vaughan scored 5 runs leaving the score 15 – 9. There was still time so inning 4 started and with a bang. Sarah E was the first batter and got us rolling with a triple. Victoria T followed with a single driving Sarah home and then a few walks loaded the bases for Lexie M who hit her second single and scored 2 more runes. Lexie then scored our 5th run when Rebecca C hit her second single of the game and the score was 15-14. Vaughan batted in their half of the 4th scoring 3 and beating Whitby 18-14 as a final.

Game 2 vs Vaughan Srs

This game started with each team netting 1 run in the first inning. Both pitchers did well and the defense played well for both. The second inning for Whitby saw Calleigh B hit a single and Audrey B follow with a walk. After advancing to 2nd and 3rd Rebecca R hit a single to score both runners and we were ahead 3-1. Vaughan came right back and scored 2 of their own but with 2 out a Vaughan runner was thrown out stealing 3rd and the inning was over and the score was knotted at 3-3. When we came up in the 3rd inning we started with an out but then a single by Lexie M, a walk to Ashley S and another single to Hannah M had us in the lead again. Sarah E enticed a walk to have 2 on for Rebecca R’s heroics who hit a home run, putting Whitby in the lead 8-3. Again we let Vaughan back in by some ill-advised throws and too many walks. By the end of the 3rd we were all tied up 8-8 and heading to the final inning. Inning 4 had two of our first three batters getting out and that is when things got crazy. With Audrey B on first via a walk we started to play “small ball”. Singles by Taylor H, Emma B, Rebecca C and Sophie M followed by 2 more walks and Whitby had scored 4 runs for a 12-8 lead and all with 2 out. Time was running out and Vaughan had last bats. They scored with their first three batters,but then 2 strike outs had us hoping. With the 12-11 (for Whitby) the next Vaughan player hit a single and advanced to 3rd. With the tying run at 3rd and the winning run at the plate the Whitby pitcher, Lexie M, picked a good time to dig deep and strike out the batter and give the Whitby Mite’s their first win of the season.

Game 3 vs Unionville

This game was not very close throughout, but the girls did battle. After two innings Whitby was down 8-3 with Unionville back at the plate. They came out swinging and scored 5 runs without Whitby recording an out. That made the score 13-3 and pretty much out of reach, right? Well the girls came to bat and proved they were here to play. Lexie M opened with a single and that was followed by 3 consecutive walks to Ashley S, Hannah M and Victoria T. That got us our first run of the inning and still no outs. This set the stage for the ultimate – a grand slam by Sarah E who just crushed the ball to left field well over the head of the Unionville player. That made the score 13-8 after 3 innings. Unionville again scored 5 in the 4th inning and Whitby went out in order in the bottom of the 4th. The final score was 18-8 but the girls were still very upbeat for the day.

Game 4 vs Oakville

This game got out of hand fairly quickly. The weather was very turbulent and rainy and the Oakville team is very good at all aspects of the game. The game score ended 13-3 and Oakville could have had more, but the game was called after 3 innings due to the weather.

So we finished the games that day with a record of 1 Win, 3 Losses and 0 Ties. Based on these results Whitby received 4th place (ahead of Vaughan Sr’s). All in all the girls had a great tournament and our hitting was much better than the first two tournaments of the year. Who knows what this team can do when we go to Provincials later this month? Thanks to all the teams that came out to our tournament and we look forward to meeting everyone down in Brantford on Aug 20-21.

Coach Rand

What a fantastic day for a ball tournament. After so many rain delayed (or cancelled) games over the years we hit it just right this time – or so we thought. This was our 2nd Tournament of the 2011 season (as Guelph was cancelled the week before) and the girls were anxious to get to the games.

Game 1

Our first game was against Barrie. We had played Barrie earlier this year in Vaughan and considered them to be a top notch team. We won the toss and took home. The team played well but Barrie was too strong and with a few unlucky bounces and good base running by Barrie we found ourselves out of this game early. Our girls never gave up though and proudly worked to come back but it was not meant to be and Barrie took the game.

Game 2

We had to drive back to headquarters for our second game and had little time to prepare. This game was against Oakville. We were the visitors in this match and I thought we might come out stronger in this game. Our bats were silent in the first inning as we went down 1, 2, 3 to the Oakville pitcher. Our pitchers did what they could but with a tight strike zone and clutch hitting by Oakville we fell behind quickly and after 2 innings were running out of time. One very bright spot in this game was a line drive catch by Emma B at Short Stop and then had the presence of mind to throw to 2nd base for a double play. What really made it special was that our center fielder, Hannah Mc, recognized the opportunity and ran to 2nd base so Emma had someone to throw the ball to. The game was a little one sided in the end but we did enjoy some of the fielding plays by the girls.

Skills Competition

That brought us to skills competition and although we did not take first prize in any of the events we did show well and were very competitive.

In the Four-Girl Relay we finished 4th, in Throwing we finished 4th and in Batting we finished 2nd. Rebecca H hammered out a shot down the left field line and won herself a medal.

Game 3

We were just coming off a rest and really did not know what to expect. We were now playing Vaughan – a squad of players made up of their Sr and Jr teams. Vaughan had just played a very exciting game with Oakville, winning and coming from behind to do it. Whitby again was the visitor in this game and before the dust cleared we found ourselves behind 6-2. It seemed that Vaughan still had momentum from their earlier game with Oakville. That is when things changed a bit. We changed our pitcher and Rebecca R took the mound. The girls made some fine defensive plays including a fine pick up by Hannah Mc at short and a laser throw to Rebecca H at first. Vaughan had loaded the bases, but had not scored and with a 2-2 count on the batter Rebecca R threw the next pitch and struck out the batter. Our bats came to life in the 3rd and with some aggressive running and a very clutch 2-out triple with two on by Sarah E we took a lead of 7-6 going into the bottom of the inning. A win was not to be, though, and Vaughan scored 3 in their half of the inning to win the game 9-7 and finish the tournament with 4-0 record and the Gold medal.

Game 4

This was a game that meant nothing in the standings and was strictly a way for Whitby to possibly win it’s first tournament game. You may remember how hot it was this day. We were not the only ones feeling it, but because we were out on defense for so long it just wore the girls down. We had a few injuries and some of the girls had been worn down by the sun and heat. The lone bright spot in this game came in the following sequence. Rebecca C walked, stole 2nd, stole 3rd and with 2 out she would not be denied. She waited for the first passed ball and stole home with a very impressive slide at the plate (which I hear was caught frame by frame by our photographer of the day – Gord S.). After that time ran out in the game and we finished the tournament still looking for our first win.

Thanks to the assistant coaches Adam Hagen and Todd Bishop. A special thanks to my wife Karen for keeping score all day long for us and to the parents who, along with the girls, suffered through one of the hottest days we have seen this summer. Up next is our own tournament in Whitby on Aug 7th.

Coach Rand

After having our home tournament postponed, the Novice Select team was eagerly awaiting the Barrie tournament on June 26th. The girls got the season off to a successful and exciting start by winning all four games and finishing first. There were eight teams in the tournament. Vaughan, Erindale and Brampton were in our pool. The second pool consisted of Barrie, Burlington, Martingrove and Guelph.

In the first game, Whitby played Vaughan and started very strongly with great pitching and aggressive base running, winning with a mercy 18-0. The second game was against Erindale. Whitby pitched and hit well again and played very strong defence, winning 12-0 in another mercy. Our third game was against Brampton. Whitby played another all around strong game and won 9-2 to advance to the championship game.

This set up the gold medal game against a hard hitting Martingrove team who advanced to the final in their pool with an identical 3-0 record including two mercies as well, including a tough two run victory over a very strong Barrie team.

Whitby started well and led 2-0 after the first inning and 5-1 after three innings. In the fourth inning Martingrove came alive and scored 8 runs with some strong hitting and aggressive base running. The hard hits, combined with a very rough infield, led to several very tough infield bounces that worked against us. In the bottom half of the inning, the girls answered back strongly, scoring 3 runs and then holding Martingrove to no runs in their last at bat.

With the final inning announced due to the time limit, Whitby went into their last at bats trailing 9-8. Kimberley drew a leadoff walk, stole second, advanced to third on a single by Stephanie, but was thrown out at home on the next at bat on a very close play. Another walk and a strikeout left Whitby with runners on second and third with two out. With the tension building, Delaney came to bat and hit the first pitch into right-centre field scoring both Stephanie and then Sarah with the winning run on a very close play at the plate.

This comeback gold medal win was a great start to the season. Whitby showed a lot of character coming back after a very tough inning against a very good team with the pressure on to win the game.

Outstanding pitching was provided throughout the day by Delaney, Melissa and Stephanie. Delaney and Melissa combined to throw a no hitter striking out all but one batter in the Vaughan game. Stephanie and Delaney combined for a one-hitter against Erindale and Melissa and Delaney combined for another one-hitter against Brampton. Emily, Paige and Sarah all provided great catching and defence behind the plate.

In addition to the pitchers and catchers, all of the girls, including Alanna, Julia, Jessica, Kimberley, Megan, Taylor M and Taylor S contributed to these victories with timely hits and defensive contributions as well as exceptional and aggressive base running by all.

The coaching staff and parents are very proud of the girls’ efforts and determination and are looking forward to a great season!

Coach Andy

On June 18 the Whitby Mite Selects started their tournaments for 2011 with a visit to Vaughan. The tournament was the first for many of our young team, but as is the case with most of the girls I have had the pleasure of coaching, I was surprised by our poise and determination.

Game 1 vs Vaughan Jrs

Game one started well for Whitby with a first inning generating 5 runs on a variety of walks and hits. There was a “no stealing home” rule in this tournament and an “open” last inning which proved costly for us.

The girls caught on quickly about stealing and were very disappointed they couldn’t steal home. This did help all catchers in the tournament and will not likely be the case in any other tournament we enter.

The game started well for Whitby and we scored the maximum 5 runs and then took the field. We opened our tournament with Lexy M pitching and although we allowed 5 runs Lexy pitched great and will only get better. We followed up with Lauren B and Emma B to close out the game. The game did not feature a lot of hits, but we did get singles from Victoria T, Rebecca C, Rebecca H, Lauren B and a multi-hit performance from Rebecca R. In the end it was not enough and the Vaughan Jrs came back in the bottom of the final inning to win 16-15.

Game 2 vs Vaughan Srs

Game two was one we would all like to forget. The team never did get on track and we lost 17-1. We did get hits from Hannah M, Lexy M, Lauren B and Rebecca H, but the pitching was strong from Vaughan and they hit the ball very well. The girls that pitched – Victoria T, Rebecca C and Lexy M – all did well and although we were out-hit, our pitchers were getting it across the plate. We will improve on defense and will be better in support of our pitchers.

Game 3 vs Barrie

Our last game of the round robin play was against a well coached Barrie squad. Barrie had without a doubt the best pitcher of the tournament. Things started slow for Whitby in this one. We did manage to get runners to 1st and 3rd but Barrie struck out the side to end our half of the inning. We started with Lexy M in this one and although she recorded 2 strikeouts in the inning Barrie managed to score twice for a 2-0 lead.

In the 2nd inning we came out determined and ended the inning ahead 4-2 thanks to a very timely single from Hannah M combined with some sharp eyes at the plate. Barrie was also as determined and with some close calls and timely hits moved ahead 7-4 after 2 innings.

Whitby did come back again and with a combination of walks, hits and a few fielding errors by Barrie managed to score 5 to again take a lead of 9-7. The Barrie team was not ready to admit defeat and batted around in their half of the inning, scoring 5 more runs and winning the game 12-9. It was a very entertaining game going back and forth all game and in the end Barrie moved on to the Final and Whitby moved in to the Consolation game.

Consolation Game

This ended up being a replay of our first game of the day against the Vaughan Jrs.

I might mention that Whitby had a short bench for game 3 of the round robin and the Consolation game. We had 9 players for these 2 games which meant no one sat and no one had breaks. Did I mention the temperature was 33 degrees as well? Our girls were extremely tired, but soldiered on and did not give up.

We also had a couple of firsts in this game with Calleigh B’s pitching debut and Ashley S at catcher for the first time. Both girls did well and hopefully will be part of Stacy’s pitching clinics from here on in. The game was looking like we had lost our momentum and after 2 innings were down 8-0 due mostly to a triple play by the Vaughan team. This happened in the first inning with Whitby loading the bases and with Lauren B at the plate. Lauren hit a line drive where it should have got through the infield were it not for a fine play by the Vaughan short stop. She caught the ball and simply touched 2nd and threw to first for the 3rd out.

We did manage a comeback, but fell short – with bases loaded (again) Rebecca H hit a single to score our first run and then with 1 strike and 2 balls on her Hannah M hit a ball that turned out to be our first grand slam of the year. Unfortunately we ran out of steam and the game ended 8-5 for the Vaughan Jr’s.

Thanks to Vaughan for hosting the tournament and to the teams and especially our girls for representing Whitby so well at their first tournament.

A special thanks to Dave McCallum, Annette Choppowick and Al Bett’s for coaching assistance and score keeping.

Coach Rand