They watched one of their teammates fall to a potentially serious injury. That was all the motivation the Prince George Thunderbirds needed.
The Thunderbirds, a local girls softball team, were trailing the Langley Extreme 4-0 after the first inning of a Sunday tournament game in Kelowna. Later, with the Extreme looking to add to their lead, one of the Langley players ripped a line drive that glanced off the glove of Prince George's Jess Chartrand and hit her in the temple. As a precaution, Chartrand was taken to hospital and examined. In her absence, the T-birds rallied for a 7-4 win.
The victory was the only one the Thunderbirds managed during the tournament. In their other games, they lost 7-3 to the Surrey Storm, 8-1 to the South Surrey Thunder and 9-2 to the Abbotsford Outlaws.
The T-birds were playing their first games of the season, while their opponents had already seen action in 15 to 20.
Heidi Wilson is head coach of the Thunderbirds.
