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T-birds end season with B.C. medal

A provincial championship tournament is a great place to go on a winning streak. For the Jack Schultz Autobody/Top Corner Plumbing & Heating Thunderbirds, a string of five consecutive victories was part of a run to B.C. bronze.
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The Jack Schultz Autobody/Top Corner Plumbing & Heating Thunderbirds gather for a group photo after winning bronze at their provincial championship tournament in Surrey.

A provincial championship tournament is a great place to go on a winning streak. For the Jack Schultz Autobody/Top Corner Plumbing & Heating Thunderbirds, a string of five consecutive victories was part of a run to B.C. bronze.

The Thunderbirds, an Under-14 team representing the Prince George Minor Girls Softball Association, claimed medals of that colour last Sunday in Surrey. The Thunderbirds were swinging the bats at the B level and their accomplishment was a bit of a rarity in the local history books.

"It's been 10 years since a Prince George team has medaled in a provincials at any level for the Thunderbirds program, right from U-12 to U-18," said head coach Lee J. Leslie. "We knew we had a special group of girls who weren't afraid to work hard this year and commit to everything asked of them. It exceeded our expectations to come away with the bronze. Obviously you would like to come away with the gold but to come away with the bronze we were absolutely ecstatic as a coaching staff."

The T-birds started provincials with a game against Strawberry Vale of Saanich and were in a 5-5 tie after regulation time. The teams went to the international tiebreaker format where a runner starts on second base and the tiebreaker led to a 17-6 victory for Strawberry Vale.

Then, the wins started for the Thunderbirds.

First, they beat the rival Cloverdale Fury 8-5. Then came victories against the Valley Venom (7-0) and West Kootenay Rebels (16-1), which landed the T-birds in the Gold Division playoffs. There, they downed the Delta Invaders 11-5 and ran to an 8-4 win against the Kelowna Heat, a team they hadn't beaten all season.

Next, with a chance to advance directly to the final, the Thunderbirds fell 8-3 to the Richmond Islanders. Then, with another opportunity to slip into the championship game, they faced the Heat again. This time, the Heat prevailed 10-7.

"They were really close games (against the Islanders and Heat)," said T-birds outfielder Brooklyn Hill. "We tried our hardest but we had a few mental errors and they scored runs and we couldn't come back."

Provincials was the seventh out-of-town tournament of the season for the Thunderbirds. With all the time they spent traveling and playing, earning bronze against B.C.'s best was a nice reward.

"It was really exciting for everyone," Hill said. "The parents were really proud of us and so were our coaches."

During provincials, the 14-year-old Hill led her team with a .583 batting average.

"I was in a batting slump for a lot of tournaments and then once we got into provincials I actually started hitting the ball and getting on base more and more," she said. "I wasn't striking out as much or getting put out.

"I think I was just like, 'OK, provincials, I'm in the batting order and I have to hit the ball and get some runs in and try to get on base. We have to win some games.'"

Another key performer was shortstop Jazzy Polajzar, who bashed three out-of-the park home runs and finished with a .536 average. Meanwhile, pitcher Rylee Paterson - a left-hander from Quesnel - appeared in seven of the T-birds' eight games and recorded 25 strikeouts, while catcher Avery Leslie cracked 16 hits. Avery Leslie, a first-year player in the age group, ended the tournament with an impressive .571 batting average.

Other team members are Camryn Frie, Faith Young, Hannah Case, Jordan Maloney, Morgan Case, Tayleur Courtice, Tessa Sturgeon and Kaitlyn Doucette. Assistant coaches are Doug Sturgeon, Dallas Tobin and Lindsay Gervais.

The big-hitting Doucette, who also lives in Quesnel, suffered a sprained ankle shortly before provincials and wasn't able to play.

"She came to support but didn't even bring her gear," said Lee J. Leslie.

"(Not having her in the lineup) was a bit of a challenge but we preached being a family and staying together all year long and they really met the challenge when they needed to learn how to deal with the adversity."