The Grand Valley division of the Provincial Woman’s Softball Association held its year-end tournament Aug. 14 to 16 in Wilmot Township.
The event included 14 teams from North Oxford, London, Ancaster, Dundas, Kitchener (2), Stratford, Arthur, Springfield, Cambridge, Wilmot, LaSalle (2) and Palmerston.
The Palmerston Marlins ranked first in their division which gave them a bye until Saturday morning play. Round robin games were scheduled Saturday against Dundas, Wilmot and North Oxford.
The Marlins managed a win for each of these, continuing on to Sunday to start off against a very strong Ancaster team.
With temperatures soaring above 30 degrees, the team rallied through the game and came up with another win, 5-4, sending the Marlins undefeated to the gold medal game.
In the final game the Marlins faced off against one of their tough rivals, North Oxford Crush. Back and forth, offensive and defensive play were traded as the score remained within a run or two up to the sixth inning.
At that point, the Marlins’ offence kicked in to overdrive and the bats came alive as the team overtook the Crush for a 16-8 final score and the gold medal.
During the season the Marlins also earned a gold at the Whitby Summer Slam, gold at Provincial Qualifiers (undefeated) and silver at Provincial Grands.
“Coaches, parents, friends and other fans are proud of this group of dedicated young woman and wish them all the luck as they journey to Quebec this week on their quest for gold at the Eastern Canadian Championships,” team officials state.
The Marlins organization thanked the silver medal-winning North Oxford Crush, who presented the Marlins with a $100 donation towards their trip to Quebec.
“Their Sportsmanship is truly appreciated on and off the field,” officials state.
