91原创 Xtreme U12 team were undefeated on their way to a gold medal finish and the title of Softball BC provincial champions, winning eight in a row over the July 30 鈥 Aug. 1 weekend in Richmond.
Head Coach Melissa Appleton described the team as a 鈥渇orce unlike any other.鈥
鈥淚 have never seen a team come together and support one another the way these girls did,鈥 Appleton commented.
鈥淭he magic was palpable and no one can deny it.鈥
Xtreme 2009 finished the round robin tied for first place, leading to a coin toss which put them in second going into the playoffs.
They outscored district rivals, the Abbotsford Outlaws 09, in a tight 3-2 win in their second playoff game.
In the semi-final, they went up against against the Gordon Head Outlaws, who were seeded in first after the coin toss tie-breaker.
Gordon Head had some hits to start off the game, but the Xtreme didn鈥檛 let up, scoring four runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to take the lead, ultimately winning 7-3 and advancing to the final.
Their journey ended with Xtreme and Vancouver Wildcats battling for gold.
It ended with a 2-1 victory, after an extra inning tiebreaker.
Alayna Jackson, who plays second base for the Xtreme and drove in eight home runs during the tournament, said her teammates inspired her.
鈥淭hey made me want to work harder than I ever have,鈥 Jackson said, adding 鈥淚 believe winning made our bond stronger and I could never have asked for a better team鈥
Xtreme ended their season with a 44-5-1 record.
They also took on extra games against teams in higher divisions, as well as older age groups and made the decision to entered an 鈥淎鈥 tournament this season, as the only 鈥淏鈥 team, and went on finish second.
READ ALSO: 91原创 Xtreme battle on the ball field
Team manager Alicia Benson called it 鈥渁n amazing season, and what an amazing group of young athletes.鈥
鈥淥ne year ago, this team set a goal of winning provincials, they practiced and worked hard though a global pandemic, they played an altered season that saw them face off against teams in a higher division, they challenged themselves to become better athletes and improve their skills, and on Sunday they reached their goal and came out on top,鈥 Benson enthused.
Coach Rod Storsley was impressed by how the girls 鈥渆ncouraged each other, kept each other going, picked each other up whether they were winning or losing.鈥
鈥淚 always told them that no matter how a game goes, winners always find a way to win in the end 鈥 and that鈥檚 exactly what they did,鈥 Storsley said.
Xtreme players were also leaders off the field, volunteering to mentor and run ball clinics for younger girls in the league, and enduring a heat wave to help run the U6 end-of-season skills competition.
READ ALSO: 91原创 Xtreme win U16B provincial championships
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