The unluckiest team in softball

Teams have been hit hard in eastern Ontario with poor weather and field conditions for the month of May, with lots of games postponed.

With Fitzroy's diamond draining well, Caveman's squirt team has played seven out of eight scheduled games. Fitzroy Junior's Bantam team has got in eight out of ten. So not too bad.

Other teams have had more cancelled, but the worst luck of all has to go to the Stittsville #1 Peewee Boys team. They are part of the West Carleton - Stittsville Peewee Boys League which has five teams. By now, the should have nine games in......but they have played one! Between rainy weather, mushy fields, giant puddles on the diamond, they have had eight cancellations in the last month. Ouch! Let's hope they have better luck the rest of the season.

May 2 - Stittsville #1 at Kinburn PPD
May 3 - Fitzroy at Stittsville #1 PPD
May 8 - Stittsville #1 at Carp PPD
May 12 - Stittsville #2 at Stittsville #1 PPD
May 17 - Carp at Stittsville #1 PPD
May 19 - Stittsville #2 defeats Stittsville #1: 13-11
May 25 - Stittsville #1 at Fitzroy PPD
May 26 - Kinburn at Stittsville #1 PPD
May 30 - Stittsville #1 at Kinburn PPD

GOFL Week #4

We are in the fourth week of the Greater Ottawa Fastball League season and we have two - count 'em two - games in the books, due to weather and field conditions.

There are two games on Wednesday, with I4C Victory playing their first game of the season in Stittsville (1-0) against the 56ers at 8:30 pm. Also that night, the Quyon Flyers and Kars Aces will play in Manotick at 8 pm.

Thursday sees West Carleton Electric (1-1) play the Ottawa Valley As in Carp at 8:30 pm. The Quyon Flyers will host Micksburg Twins that night at 9 pm as part of women's / men's doubleheader.

Bytown Belles Finish Second at St. Catharines Open Tournament

from Erin Durant


The Bytown Belles finished in second place at the St.Catharines open tournament this past weekend. The Belles feature several local Ottawa players, coaches, and alumni of the University of Ottawa and other Ontario Intercollegiate Women's Fastpitch Association ("OIWFA") teams.

The Belles opened the tournament with a 6-0 win over Port Perry. Ottawa native Hayley Bennett scored the Belles' first run of the year and also drove in a run. This was Hayley's first competitive tournament since the birth of her three young children. Allison Hipgrave pitched the complete game shut out.

In the second game of the day Elissa Sivel, originally from Pembroke, pitched a complete game 1 hitter in the Belles 7-0 win over Brampton.

Jean Cardona, also from Pembroke, pitched the third game of the day against the Brantford Juniors. The Brantford Bobcats Juniors are an elite squad with a history of success. The Belles came out strong with an early 2-0 lead before Brantford broke the game open scoring 11 unanswered runs off of Cardona, Hipgrave and Sivel. The final score was 11-2 for the Bobcats.

In the fourth game of the day the Belles faced Owen Sound. Cardona pitched six shutout innings and Hipgrave finished the game off in the seventh. The Belles scored four runs. As a result of this win, the Belles finished second in their pool and advanced to the semi-finals.

In the semis the Belles faced a Midget Tier 1 team - also from Brantford.  The team featured athletes born in 1999 and 2000. Their youth could not help them as the crafty veterans scored 5 runs. Erin Durant of Ottawa (born in 1986) was 2 for 3 with an RBI and a run scored.  Cardona started the game and Hipgrave pitched in relief giving up only one run between them.

The Belles had their rematch against the Bobcats in the finals. Cardona started the game with Hipgrave coming in as relief. The Belles had several hard hit balls but little luck. The Bobcats could only score 3 runs as the Belles played stellar defence led by former University of Ottawa shortstop Brye Corkum who made a tremendous diving catch followed by a laser throw to take away a sure hit up the middle. The game ended 3-0 in favour of the Bobcats.

The Belles had excellent pitching all weekend which was made possible thanks to reliable catching from Ottawa teacher and Gee Gee softball assistant coach Stephanie Bouchey and Laurier graduate, and Laurier softball assistant coach, Amy Oliver.

The Belles will be coached throughout 2017 by Hal Whitcomb, Scott Searle and Matt Allen. The complete Belles roster includes:

Stephanie Manson
Stephanie Bouchey
Brye Corkum
Erin Durant
Jean Cardona
Alika Kingsbury
Stacey Austick
Leah Mark
Allison Hipgrave
Hayley Bennett
Elissa Sivel
Amy Oliver
Alicia Helmond

Amber O'Connor of Pembroke who caught for the Belles last year gave birth to her first son Mannix in April. The Belles hope to see them both as spectators this year.

Westport Storm finish second at Stouffville peewee tournament

The Westport Storm peewee boys team went 3-1 and lost in the finals of the nine-team Stouffville tournament this past weekend, losing 9-8 to the Napanee Express.

Both teams are included in the 21 teams that have registered for the Ontario Amateur Softball Association playdowns at the Peewee (U14) level.

Molly Sherman memorial won by NE Naturals

The Northeast Naturals won the Molly Sherman Memorial tournament in Elkland this past weekend. They defeated the PA Power 9-2 in the final. Tyler Randerson was named Most Valuable Pitcher and Jeff Nowaczyk was the Most Valuable Player.

Elkland ESA and Oswego CPI finished tied for third. The Kingston Axemen finished 2-2 in pool play and did not advance to the playoff round on Sunday.

Richmond Hill Intermediate Men's Tournament July 7 - 9

The Richmond Hill Intermediate Men's Tournament is looking for more teams to continue the long standing tradition of this tournament on July 7 - 9.

Currently there are 4 teams committed but the organizers are looking for up to 4 more teams to get to 8 ideally.

Teams are guaranteed three games between Friday and Saturday with 6 teams making it to the Sunday playoff rounds. Entry fee is $400 ($375 if paid via email by June 7).

If you are looking for some good ball, a couple of cold pops in the beer garden, sweet prizes and the best pulled pork around please contact Joe Van Der Valk at joevv1[at]gmail.com or 647-281-6108.

Fitzroy Junior hits a bomb

Tonight at his bantam game, Fitzroy Junior hit a home run, legit bomb, straight away centre at the Carp diamond. Note, he is 14 years old and weighs 125 pounds.

He was some excited rounding the bases.

The opposing pitcher was no ace, but still......I was shocked. As it was rising out towards the fence, I was briefly speechless, then screamed "GET OUT", and there it was over the fence. I am not sure I have ever seen Fitzroy Junior that happy on a ball diamond.

Memories made tonight in Carp!

Stittsville wins 8-6 over West Carleton

The Stittsville 56ers defeated West Carleton Electric 8-6 in Greater Ottawa Fastball League play on Tuesday in Fitzroy Harbour.

Kyle Olson when the distance for the win, while Andy Barber took the loss with relief from Steve Cavanagh.

Barber, Trevor Barton and Chris Costello all had solo home runs for Fitzroy. Scott Parsons had four runs batted in for Stittsville and Dan Jessiman drove in three.

more to follow

Schedule for the 2017 Molly

The Molly Sherman Memorial Tournament in Elkland, PA has ten teams this year for the US Memorial Day long weekend, starting May 27. The Kingston Axemen will be in attendance.

Greg Workman obituary

Greg "Peck" Workman died this week at 56.

Greg played in the early years of the GOFL in the predecessor Kemptville Men's Fastball League for the Macton Muckdogs. He was currently still playing in an over 35 league for Spencerville and was planning on playing again this year. Information on his service in Cardinal (Tuesday) and celebration of his life in South Mountain (Wednesday) is available here.

Doubleheader in Manotick on Wednesday postponed

Unfortunately the GOFL doubleheader scheduled for Wednesday May 17 in Manotick had to be postponed until later in the season.

West Carleton wins 10-6 over Ottawa Valley As

West Carleton Electric prevailed 10-6 over the Ottawa Valley As in Greater Ottawa Fastball League play on Tuesday night in Fitzroy Harbour.

Andy Barber had the win, giving up four runs in four innings of work, while Steve Cavanagh allowed two runs in throwing the final three innings.

Ben Broek had the start for Valley allowing six runs over three innings, while Adam Rueckwald took the loss giving up four runs over two innings of work. Todd Wilson threw a scoreless inning in the sixth in relief.

Chris Costello was three for four for West Carleton, with a grand slam and a total of five RBIs.

GOFL Week 2 (but really the first week)

The Greater Ottawa Fastball League Week 2 (which is actually the first week of play, since Week 1 was washed out) will start on Tuesday. West Carleton Electric will host the Ottawa Valley A's in Fitzroy Harbour at 8:30 pm.

Then there will be a doubleheader in Manotick, with the Stittsville 56ers facing the Kars Aces at 7 pm and I4C Victory at 9 pm.

Quyon Flyers and Micksburg Twins have the week off and will finally get at it next week.

Ottawa Valley Strong win bronze - full report

from Scott Searle

The Ottawa Valley Strong defeated the Breakaway 45's from Australia 8-7 in the bottom of the 9th inning to seize the Bronze medal at the World Masters Games.

The Games are the world’s largest multi-sport event. Held every four years, it is the pinnacle sporting event for masters competitors worldwide. In supporting the Olympic Games ethos of ‘sport for all’,  the goal of the World Masters Games is to encourage participation in sport throughout life. Competition and camaraderie are equally celebrated. There were 26,000 participants from over 100 countries. World Masters Games 2017

To win the medal, the Ottawa Valley Team defeated 30 other teams from around the world.  Yvonne Carleton picked up the win, going the full 9 innings.

The team showed a great deal of resiliency after giving up 5 runs in the top of the 1st inning.  The team settled down and scored 4 of their own in the 2nd.  Offensive leaders were Brenda Brown and Shyanne Stockie who both went 3-4.  Pam Behnke-vanhoof drove in 3 runs with a pair of triples, and Chrissy LaForce continued her strong hitting with a 3-4 performance with a pair of singles and a double.

The Strong played sharp defense and Donna Price turned a double play, which was her 4th of the week.  Brenda Brown caught every game for the team and helped steady a very strong pitching staff.  The game was a total team victory as 14 athletes made contributions on the field. The winning run was scored when Heather Kirk, who was the team's designated runner scampered home after a stolen base.

The team had trained for 4 years and participated in 79 practices in West Carleton, competed in the CCFL for 3 years and hosted several fundraisers.

All of the athletes and coaches would like to thank the teams in the CCFL for inviting us to participate in their league, as well the umpires for their help, patience and financial contributions.

The process and medal was the culmination of a 4 year effort and all of the ladies are extremely proud of their accomplishment.

  

Bruce Casselman to lead Softball Ontario webinar on May 15

from Scott Searle

Softball Ontario is hosting a webinar series and coaches can earn 1 PD point and learn about pitch sequences next Monday.

Bruce Casselman has the legacy of being one of the top players to play Men’s fastpitch in Canada. In the 1990’s he led the Toronto Gators to two ISC World Championships and two Canadian Championships. He was a member of the Senior Men’s National Team that won Gold at the 1999 Pan-American Games champion in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He also represented Team Canada at the ISF World Championships in South Africa. A very humble person, Bruce is most proud to have caught some of the best pitchers from around the world including; Darren Zack, Brad Underwood, Micheal Piechnick, Dean Holein, Chubb Tangerora, Doug Middleton and Steve Price. Bruce moved away from softball to coach hockey in the Ottawa area but had his passion for the game rekindled by coaching his daughter's U14 team. Bruce is a Softball Ontario Learning Facilitator and provides support on technical skills. More recently he was a Guest Coach with the u21 Men’s Canada Games Program in Ontario where he consulted with the catchers on setting up batters with proper sequences.

Bruce will be leading the next Softball Ontario Webinar on be Monday, May 15th at 8:00.

Watch Bruce Casselman explain how he used pitch sequences, changed speeds, to set up batters.

Coaches will earn 1 PD Point towards maintaining their NCCP Certification.

The National Coaching Certification Program is now asking coaches to participate in activities that enhance their coaching to reinforce “values of lifelong learning and sharing amongst the coaching community.” All coaches in all sports will be” required to obtain Professional Development (PD) points. PD points can be earned through a multitude of activities that coaches already participate in, including: national and provincial sport organization conferences and workshops, eLearning modules, NCCP workshops, coach mentorship programs, and active coaching. In most cases, coaches are already earning their required PD points.

For more information, you can check http://coach.ca/maintenance-of-certification-s16745. Softball coaches will need to obtain 20 points in a 5 year period.

Sign up for the webinar here: https://www.softballontario.ca/english/our-programs/coach/softball-nccp/professional-development-points-webinar-series.html 

If you have any questions, contact Scottsearle@rogers.com.

Beautiful May weather

The weather in eastern Ontario and western Quebec has been somewhat whacky this spring. As per an earlier post, there has been some extreme flooding. There has also been some cold weather.

On Monday night, Fitzroy Junior's bantam team played their season opener against McNab. During the third inning, the game featured a snow squall! Nice weather for May 8.

Kyle Jamieson wins Coach of the Year honours

Kyle Jamieson, former Stittsville 56er, and current head coach of the NCAA women's softball team at Furman University in South Carolina was named "SoCon" conference coach of the year after leading his team to the regular season title. Congrats to KJ!

Flooding in Quyon

Just to give folks an idea about how bad the flooding is in Quyon.

Google Satellite Photo from Quyon in "normal" circumstances.

Drone aerial view of Quyon with the current flooding. The red circle is where the ball diamond is under water.

GOFL Week 1 games postponed

All the games in Week 1 of the Greater Ottawa Fastball League season have been postponed.

Stittsville was supposed to host I4C on Wednesday May 10. The City of Ottawa has banned use of the Grove at this time.

Quyon was supposed to host Kars on Thursday May 11. Half of the village of Quyon is pretty much under water due to the flooding, including the ball diamond.

Also on Thursday, Mickburg was suppposed to host the Valley As. The Micksburg field is too wet to play on this week.

Squirt & Peewee Tournament in Alice

Alice Minor Fastball Tournament

June 10th, 2017 (rain date June 11th)

Come join us for a great day of ball!!!  

Cost: $100 per team, (cheques made payable to Alice Minor Fastball)

Divisions:  Squirt (11/12) and Peewee (13/14)

2 game minimum (4 max)

BBQ, drinks available, 50/50

All games to be played at Alice and Fraser Recreation Centre – 1 Henan Rd, Pembroke

Please contact Mark/Megan Robillard to register - mrobillard13@sympatico.ca

Proceeds help support Alice Minor Fastball.

Men's tournaments this season

While the weather today is cold, raining and causing floods, there will be fastball in the future - hopefully. Al's Fastball has a list of men's fastball tournaments here, which includes a few somewhat close to eastern Ontario in June and July.

June 9-11 - Bradford-Cane Memorial, Cobourg, ON
June 30-July 2 - Croghan, NY
July 7-9 - AuSable Forks, NY
July 14-16 - Axemen Tournament, Kingston, ON
July 28-30 - Gil Read Memorial, Carp, ON

The Glen Cairn Men's Fastball League is also hosting their annual tournament in Carp on June 9-11.

The Fitzroy Harbour Men's Fastball League will be, for the first time, inviting outside teams into their annual house league tournament. It's in Fitzroy Harbour on the June 9-11 weekend as well.

If anyone knows of any other tournaments that should be added to the list, add a comment.

Throwback photo from 2006

A photo from 2006, when the Shawville Snappers took the McNab/Braeside Junior Men's Fastball League title.

From the Shawville Equity