Eastern Ontario Fastball Blog: Ottawa Valley Strong win bronze

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.