Very Successful Weekend-On and Off Field for Gee-Gees
A very successful weekend, on and off the field for the Gee-Gees in Ottawa.
When the University of Ottawa Softball Gee-Gees listed their goals for the 2006 season, some might be surprised to see “giving back to the community” as a priority. For university athletes who are already juggling part-time jobs, full-time school, family commitments, and personal lives, to look outside to see what else needs to be done is impressive indeed. The team took a big step toward achieving this goal on the weekend with a pair of efforts to support their local community.
The team is split roughly equally between athletes who have grown up in the Ottawa area and those that have moved here for University. One of the biggest surprises for those new to the city is the number of military personnel in the downtown area. Ottawa is host to the Headquarters of the Department of National Defence and home to 20,000 Canadian troops. This makes the current Canadian engagement very real to our city as nearly everyone in Ottawa has a friend or family member in the military or knows someone who is currently serving overseas. Recently citizens in Ottawa have been encouraged to wear red on Fridays as a symbol of support for Canadian Soldiers and the athletes from both the University of Ottawa and Carleton University showed great leadership in this initiative by dedicating their game last Friday to Canadian troops and donning special red uniforms for the game. They were thrilled to welcome Colonel Claude Rochette to the game who highlighted the importance of the Afghanistan mission to fans and athletes alike. The team was also very proud to see their efforts recognized by Parliamentary Secretary for National Defence during a congratulatory Statement by Member in the House of Commons Friday afternoon.
The Gee-Gees extended their commitment to the softball community Saturday morning as they led a “Bridge to the Future Clinic” for 25 minor athletes from the Ottawa area. They led sessions in pitching, catching, outfield and hitting for 2 hours before preparing for their games against Brock University.
UOttawa 9 Carleton 0
The Garnet and Grey was back in the groove between the lines as well with a 3-0 weekend to bring their record to 7-4. They rose to the occasion on Friday night with a 9-0 victory over cross-town rival Carleton University. Elissa Sivel was dominant in the win with 9 strikeouts over 5 innings, allowing 3 hits and no walks. Vanessa Homiak ignited the offence with 3 singles driving in 4 runs and Erin Durant put on a show for her grandfather, a WW2 veteran who was in the crowd to throw the first pitch, with a 3-3 effort. Lindsey McLaughlin put the finishing touch on the victory with a massive 3-Run homerun in the 4th inning.
UOttawa 4 Brock 2
The team moved to Alexander Grove Park in Stittsville for Saturday morning and put their training into practice in front of a full crowd filled with athletes the team had taught in the morning. The first 5 innings were marked by excellent Gee-Gee at bats foiled by equally strong efforts by Brock defensive players. Hard line drives and ground balls seemed to find every Badger glove on the field as the team fell behind 2-0. Their luck changed in the bottom of the 6th as Sam Pantalone, Lindsey McLaughlin, Sarah Thompson, and Nicole Dunlop ignited the scoring to go ahead 4-2. Ashley Sands took the win for the team as she was very strong in keeping the Badgers off balance and out of the scorebook.
UOttawa 10 Brock 1
The Gee-Gees carried their momentum into game two behind a strong performance from Jillian Taylor as they exploded for 10 runs in 5 innings for a 10-1 win. Elissa Sivel and Allie Rutherford displayed their versatility at the top of the order to go along with their strong defence as they always seemed to be on base and scoring runs. Jen Alexander, who is looking more at home in the Garnet and Grey every day contributed 3 clutch hits for RBI’s and had an excellent day at the plate. Carol Piche twirled a double play on her own, and threw in a single in a very strong effort from the rookie infielder. Lindsey McLaughlin stayed hot with a pair of doubles driving in 3 runs in front of a large home-town crowd.
The crowd thinned Sunday morning as the rain would not stop in Ottawa and forced the cancellation of both games against McMaster. The team travels to Waterloo next weekend to face the University of Waterloo and Wilfrid Laurier.
When the University of Ottawa Softball Gee-Gees listed their goals for the 2006 season, some might be surprised to see “giving back to the community” as a priority. For university athletes who are already juggling part-time jobs, full-time school, family commitments, and personal lives, to look outside to see what else needs to be done is impressive indeed. The team took a big step toward achieving this goal on the weekend with a pair of efforts to support their local community.
The team is split roughly equally between athletes who have grown up in the Ottawa area and those that have moved here for University. One of the biggest surprises for those new to the city is the number of military personnel in the downtown area. Ottawa is host to the Headquarters of the Department of National Defence and home to 20,000 Canadian troops. This makes the current Canadian engagement very real to our city as nearly everyone in Ottawa has a friend or family member in the military or knows someone who is currently serving overseas. Recently citizens in Ottawa have been encouraged to wear red on Fridays as a symbol of support for Canadian Soldiers and the athletes from both the University of Ottawa and Carleton University showed great leadership in this initiative by dedicating their game last Friday to Canadian troops and donning special red uniforms for the game. They were thrilled to welcome Colonel Claude Rochette to the game who highlighted the importance of the Afghanistan mission to fans and athletes alike. The team was also very proud to see their efforts recognized by Parliamentary Secretary for National Defence during a congratulatory Statement by Member in the House of Commons Friday afternoon.
The Gee-Gees extended their commitment to the softball community Saturday morning as they led a “Bridge to the Future Clinic” for 25 minor athletes from the Ottawa area. They led sessions in pitching, catching, outfield and hitting for 2 hours before preparing for their games against Brock University.
UOttawa 9 Carleton 0
The Garnet and Grey was back in the groove between the lines as well with a 3-0 weekend to bring their record to 7-4. They rose to the occasion on Friday night with a 9-0 victory over cross-town rival Carleton University. Elissa Sivel was dominant in the win with 9 strikeouts over 5 innings, allowing 3 hits and no walks. Vanessa Homiak ignited the offence with 3 singles driving in 4 runs and Erin Durant put on a show for her grandfather, a WW2 veteran who was in the crowd to throw the first pitch, with a 3-3 effort. Lindsey McLaughlin put the finishing touch on the victory with a massive 3-Run homerun in the 4th inning.
UOttawa 4 Brock 2
The team moved to Alexander Grove Park in Stittsville for Saturday morning and put their training into practice in front of a full crowd filled with athletes the team had taught in the morning. The first 5 innings were marked by excellent Gee-Gee at bats foiled by equally strong efforts by Brock defensive players. Hard line drives and ground balls seemed to find every Badger glove on the field as the team fell behind 2-0. Their luck changed in the bottom of the 6th as Sam Pantalone, Lindsey McLaughlin, Sarah Thompson, and Nicole Dunlop ignited the scoring to go ahead 4-2. Ashley Sands took the win for the team as she was very strong in keeping the Badgers off balance and out of the scorebook.
UOttawa 10 Brock 1
The Gee-Gees carried their momentum into game two behind a strong performance from Jillian Taylor as they exploded for 10 runs in 5 innings for a 10-1 win. Elissa Sivel and Allie Rutherford displayed their versatility at the top of the order to go along with their strong defence as they always seemed to be on base and scoring runs. Jen Alexander, who is looking more at home in the Garnet and Grey every day contributed 3 clutch hits for RBI’s and had an excellent day at the plate. Carol Piche twirled a double play on her own, and threw in a single in a very strong effort from the rookie infielder. Lindsey McLaughlin stayed hot with a pair of doubles driving in 3 runs in front of a large home-town crowd.
The crowd thinned Sunday morning as the rain would not stop in Ottawa and forced the cancellation of both games against McMaster. The team travels to Waterloo next weekend to face the University of Waterloo and Wilfrid Laurier.
posted by fitzroyfastball | 10/04/2006 09:13:00 am
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