Sweaburg Storm U13 girls run the table at ORSA championship tourney

The Sweaburg Storm U13 girls captured the Ontario Rural Softball Association U13 championship with an undefeated 5-0 record Saturday, July 11 and Sunday, July 12 at Innerkip. The Storm locked up the title with a 10-0 victory over Wyoming. (Jeff Tribe Photo)

Jeff Tribe, Echo Correspondent

The Sweaburg Storm U13 girls were undefeated at the nine-team Ontario Rural Softball Association provincial championship tournament Saturday, July 11 and Sunday, July 12 in Innerkip.

The Storm locked up the title with a 10-0 shutout victory Sunday afternoon, continuing a run of what coach Matt Walker said was strong pitching and batting throughout.

“All through the lineup,” he said of the team’s ability to put runs on the board. “And just consistency from the top to the bottom.”

The Storm scored all its runs in the first two innings of the final. Sweaburg jumped out to a 4-0 first-inning lead thanks to singles from Olivia Merkt, Olivia Morris and Rubee Pullen, walks to Renee Walker and Lauren Clark, and a two-run double from Gwen Bullock, who finished the game with a pair of doubles. The Storm pushed its lead into double digits with a six-run second led off by a Tesslyn Znidarsic walk, Alanna McKie hit-by-pitch and Merkt single. Morris and Bullock added walks with Lyla Visser stroking an RBI single, Pullen following with a walk and Clark closing out scoring with an RBI single.

Pitching duties were shared between Visser, Walker and Pullen across the two-day tournament, with Visser, backed up by solid defence, working five shutout innings to earn a complete-game championship victory. She struck out 11 while walking four and surrendering one base hit.

Sweaburg opened the draw with a solid 21-4 win over Port Dover Saturday morning, plating four, five, six and six runs per inning. Emily Steele and Znidarsic each slammed three-run home runs to pace a considerable offence, the latter adding an RBI triple, while Steele finished 2 for 3 with a walk and four runs scored. Jenna Hamulecki and Bullock were each 3 for 3 with two runs scored, Visser added a two-RBI triple, McKie, Pullen, Morris and Merkt contributed a base hit apiece and Autumn Hysert walked, was hit by a pitch and scored twice.

The Storm also turned a 5-3-2 double play, running from Clark at third through Morris at first and Bullock behind the plate.

“We had some great defensive plays as well,” said coach Walker.

The Storm blew into the quarterfinals with a second win Saturday, 14-4 over Fisherville, combined with positive runs for and against totals. Sweaburg opened up a tight 2-0 game in the bottom of the third with a two-out, five-run outburst, built on a leadoff Znidarsic triple, Steele double, Morris single, Bullock triple and Visser single. Bullock added a second triple on the game with Visser, Walker, Clark, Znidarsic and Hamulecki contributing singles.

Hamulecki also contributed a single. The Storm experienced déjà vu in the quarterfinal, scoring 11 runs over the first two innings in a rematch against Fisherville before sealing a 17-8 victory with a six-run fifth inning.

Pullen was a triple shy of the cycle with a leadoff home run, double and single. Bullock was 3 for 3 with a double and two runs, Steele 3 for 3, and Walker, Hamulecki, Znidarsic, Visser and Merkt each contributed base hits.

Sweaburg scored in every inning on the way to an 18-4 semi-final win over the Tara Twins, paced offensively by a 2 for 3 performance by Znidarsic including a home run, a double and a single courtesy of Bullock, two singles from Pullen and Hamulecki, and one apiece from McKie, Visser, Merkt, Walker and Clark.

Coach Walker said the Storm entered the tournament expecting to face quality competition and was not disappointed.

“We saw some great pitching and strong teams,” he credited.

Beyond the centres mentioned, Norwich, Dutton, Ancaster and Douro rounded out the draw. Under ORSA rules, teams were allowed additions, but Walker said Sweaburg stuck with its regular South Oxford Softball League roster, the core of which, he has both head-coached and developed across the past five seasons.

“We took our normal team,” he concluded.