With silver medals around their necks, many players on the Langford U-19 midget C fastball team are ready to leave minor sports.
Playing their fourth game of the day in intense heat, the Lightning battled Abbotsford in a see-saw final, only to lose 11-8 at the provincial championships July 7 in North Delta.
Langford played nine games over the three days, losing just two.
“It was an emotional time for all the girls. Many will age out of minor sports this year,” said Dave Saunders, one of the team’s coaches.
Saunders was especially pleased that organizers and other attendees at the tournament told Langford coaches how their team played with integrity and sportsmanship.
“That was one of the proudest moments as a coach. (They’re) a class act,” he said. “This is the first time many of the girls have all played together. We were struggling to even form a team at the beginning of the season.”
The Lightning went 5-0 in round robin play, won their next game, then lost a playoff round game 3-2 before meeting Abbotsford in the final.
charla@goldstreamgazette.com