Sunny skies, a couple of hundred enthusiastic young ballplayers and a well-organized tournament is the perfect recipe for success, according to Softball sa国际传媒 representative Lori Skinner.
Scoresheets in hand on Friday, Skinner was helping to keep track of the 14 teams competing in the Under-16 Girls Softball Provincial Championship this weekend at Helmcken-Centennial Park.
With 44 years of softball 鈥� player, coach, umpire, executive 鈥� under her belt, Skinner has been to more tournaments than she can count. She said the Victoria Fastball Club, home to the Victoria Devils teams, puts on some of the best.
鈥淭he Devils organization works in conjunction with View Royal, and they put on a great tournament,鈥� Skinner said. 鈥淭he Devils are a class act, when it comes to putting on a tournament.鈥�
Skinner is also the senior co-ordinator for District 1 (Victoria to Duncan and the Islands), a job she took on when Pat Hall retired, after decades of service.
鈥淚鈥檓 a lifer,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 love to watch ball, it鈥檚 a great game.鈥�
Skinner noted that while men鈥檚 fastball is dwindling, the girls version continues to be on the upswing, with many players moving on to college scholarships in the States.
鈥淭he girls are thriving, and that鈥檚 wonderful,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he organizations are putting together good coaching, and good structure.鈥�
On opening day, 14 games were spread out over three diamonds, as round-robin action got underway. Like many of the clubs, VFC has two teams in the mix, the Devils 98 and Devils 97. For the 鈥�98 girls (under-15), in their first year of bantam, this weekend will be mainly a learning experience.
The Devils 98 were up 4-3 in the top of the sixth inning against the Delta Heat 98, in an afternoon game, but a combination of unlucky calls, bobbled balls, and Delta hits had the Mainlanders winning 12-4.
Devils 98 coach Patrick Kennedy said his team would be happy with a 2-2 split.
鈥淚t鈥檚 our first year in bantam, and realistically, that鈥檚 what our goal is,鈥� Kennedy said. 鈥淸Today] we had a few bad calls, and the girls got rattled.鈥�
The Devils 97 fell 4-1 to the Delta Heat 97 on Friday afternoon, but bounced back with a 5-2 win over Delta Heat 98 in the evening. Today, local pride is on the line, when the Devils teams go up against each other, at 10 a.m. Later, the Devils 98 meet Fraser Valley Fusion 97 at 2 p.m., while the senior girls take on Surrey Storm 98 at 4 p.m.
Games run all day today, with the first pitch at 8 a.m. Eight teams advance to the championship round, which begins at 6:30 p.m. Playoffs continue on Sunday, starting at 9 a.m., with the final set for 5 p.m. Three teams earn berths to the Canadian championship next month in P.E.I.
