Murray Wood: Who's hot... and who's not
Every Friday, Murray Wood takes a look back at the week's news and decides who's hot... and who's not. This week's list ...
Team Saskatchewan will play for a medal on their home diamond at 19U Women’s Baseball National Championships in Saskatoon following a dominant final game to the team’s round-robin.
Despite a slow start, Saskatchewan rallied to defeat Newfoundland and Labrador 11-2 at Cairns Field on Saturday afternoon to win their third straight game of the tournament.
Read more:
- Borden hurdler Savannah Sutherland nabs bronze for Canada at Commonwealth Games
- VIDEO: Team Sask. hits mercy rule, defeats Manitoba in 19U Women’s Baseball Nationals opener
- Regina Pats announce lower ticket prices, planned improvements to Brandt Centre
The win not only secured top spot in Pool B for Team Saskatchewan with a 3-0 record, but punched their ticket to Sunday’s semifinals and either the gold or bronze medal game.
It was Newfoundland and Labrador which got off to the quick start Saturday however, as they exited the top of the first inning with a 2-0 lead following a Saskatchewan fielding error and a fielder’s choice which cashed in a run.
Saskatchewan finally got their bats going in the bottom of the third inning, as they tied up the score at 2-2 with a Braidy Birdsall line drive to centre field which brought in a pair of runners for the home side.
Following a Newfoundland and Labrador throwing error which allowed Birsdall to score, Camden Suchan singled to right field to score Birdsall’s sister Brenna for the 4-2 lead.
Both Birdsall sisters stepped up to the plate in the bottom of the fourth inning and delivered RBIs to stretch Saskatchewan’s lead to 6-2, before the hosts broke the game wide open in the bottom of the sixth.
Cassandra Bishop kicked off the inning with an RBI single to make it 7-2, which was followed by a pair of walks with the bases loaded by Newfoundland and Labrador to extend Team Saskatchewan’s lead to seven runs.
A throwing error by Newfoundland and Labrador and a double-play ball which scored Kayla Kinar from third got Saskatchewan their final two runs of the afternoon, which Paetyn Lenius closed out the game with a perfect final two innings on the mound with zero hits allowed.
Suchan, who started the game for Saskatchewan, earned the win with five innings thrown with one earned run on six hits given up, along with a pair of strikeouts.
For the third game in a row, Team Saskatchewan’s star at the plate was Braidy Birdsall who was 2-for-3 on the day with three runs, while picking up three RBIs to add to her nine from the previous two games.
Saskatchewan (3-0) will now face Ontario (2-2) in Sunday’s semifinal at noon, with the winner advancing to play either Quebec (4-0) or Alberta (2-1) in the gold medal game at 7 p.m.
Bronze medallists will be determined in the third place game at 4 p.m. at Cairns Field on Sunday.
Read more:
