Sports
Canada Cup ‘More than a game’ for the Alabama Gold
By Griffin Pritchard
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After finishing second in the 2007 Canada Cup’s Future’s Division, an opportunity to return to White Rock was easily answered in the affirmative. There was one difference in the 2008 tournament for the team from Alabama ” it was competing in the Women’s Division that featured Olympic teams from Canada, Australia, Japan, Venezuela, Czech Republic and China.
“It was unreal the speed that those Olympic teams played with,” said Jerry Hughes, coach of the Alabama Gold 18-and-Under team. “I don’t know if we could have had a better time getting beat like we did.”
Hughes’ squad of 17-and 18-year-old players ” soon-to-be and barely-there college-aged competitors ” squared off against teams with pitching staff’s who were beyond the collegiate level.
“I think that if we could have taken the field and only needed two outs, it would have been better for us,” said Hughes. “Those girls were tough outs and they earned every run. It wasn’t like we were out there kicking the ball around.”
After losing their final game of pool play to the Gold Coast Hurricanes, 4-3, Alabama Gold walked out of Softball City one the lower end of a 54-10 scoring difference.
“We beat the White Rock team,” said Hughes. “And we played an exhibition game on Saturday against a team from New Mexico (Future’s Division) and won 2-1. We had more hits and the game was more wide-open for us than the score indicated.”
Alabama Gold opened the 2008 Canada Cup with a 13-0 loss to Team Venezuela. That was followed by a 7-0 loss to the Washington Absolute Blast. After a day off, the Gold returned to the diamond and were saddled with a 12-0 loss to Team Chinese Taipei.
The Alabama squad was down, but not out. One day later, it rebounded to secure a 7-3 victory over the host White Rock Renegades.
After scoring one run early against the Renegades, the Gold put the game away with one run in the fifth and then a five-run sixth inning.
Haley Hopkins doubled to open the second frame and then moved to third base on an Erica Scisson sacrifice. Jessica Jackson singled to score Hopkins from third and cut the Renegade lead to 2-1.
The Gold squad knotted the game in the bottom of the fifth inning. Christin Crocker was issued a free pass after being hit by a pitch.
Alabama took the final lead courtesy of a five-run sixth inning.
With one out and two runners on base, Hillary Hughes singled to score Krista Rodden. Hughes and Crocker both advanced to second and third base after a throwing error. Katy Neal doubled to clear the bases. She then advanced to third on a passed ball. Hopkins singled to score Neal. With two outs, Erica Sisson doubled to score Hopkins and claim the 7-2 lead. That turned out to be the game’s final tally and Alabama Gold’s only official victory.
“I knew that those teams were going to be above us,” said Hughes. “Just watching them play last year. But being on the field with these teams is completely different. The speed of the game and the way they play, is just amazing.”
Japan ended the Gold’s winning ways with an 11-0 victory.
“Japan was the toughest that we played,” said Hughes. “But it was amazing just watching them warm up. All of their bat-bags were lined up perfectly along the fence. When they were introduced before the start of the game, they would run out and bow to the umpire and then after the game they line up at the pitcher’s circle and bow.”
Japan defeated Australia in the Canada Cup final to claim the championship. Hughes, who collected softball from opposing teams, said that when Japan signed theirs, they didn’t have time to put the team name on it, so they left a perfect space between the laces for him to write Japan.
Alabama Gold ended pool play with a 4-3 loss to the Gold Coast Hurricanes. The loss came in the bottom of the ninth inning.
Gold Coast jumped ahead 1-0 in the bottom of the second inning. Alabama answered with a run in the top of the seventh frame.
With two outs, Crocker stood alone on first base. Rodden doubled to clear the bases and tie the game at 1-1.
Alabama Gold took a 2-1 lead when Maegan Hornsby stole home in the top of the eighth inning. Gold Coast answered, though, in the bottom of eighth inning.
Alabama Gold once again took the lead in the top of the ninth inning. With one out, Hopkins advanced to third after a Sisson sacrifice bunt to the pitcher. Phillips singled to score Hopkins.
However, Neal gave up a double that scored two runs in the bottom of the ninth frame to seal the 4-3 victory for the Gold Coast squad.
“They’ve qualified for ASA Gold Nationals,” said Hughes. “They are a serious travel team. Some of their parents told us that they have a budget of $129,000 to travel and play on during the summer.”
Alabama Gold ended the tournament with a record of 1-5.
The level of play wasn’t the only thing that was more than expected , the crowd was more appreciative and louder than any some of the girls had ever played before.
“The people appreciated softball better than anywhere I’ve ever been,” said Hughes. “We were getting beat by Venezuela, the game is already out of hand at this point, and our thirdbaseman makes a diving stop and throws the batter out at first. The stands erupted. I told the girls after the game to listen to the applause that we were getting, even though we got beat as bad as we did in some games.”
The girls learned more than just on-field competition.
“But this was about more than softball,” said Hughes.
While away from the field, Alabama Gold had the opportunity see what it was like to be an Olympian.
“We were carted all over the place and chauffered to and from the hotel,” said Hughes. “That was nice. But we also went whale watching and to Whistler Mountain.”
Once play started at the Canada Cup, four different tournaments were being contested.
Chinese Taipei Youth won the Future’s Division (18 and Under), defeating the Germantown (Tenn.) Red Devils in the championship. The Branford Bobcats defeated Germantown (Tenn.) in the Showcase Division (16 and Under). The Surrey Mariners and the Kelowna Grizzlies walked away with championship trophies at the end of the Special O Division tourney.
“That was probably one of the most unique parts of the whole trip,” said Hughes. “The kids in the Special O were coming up and wanting the girls to sign autographs and take pictures. At the end of the tournament, we took softballs to some of the teams and got them to sign it. We gave them the same gift bags that we gave to our opponents in the Women’s Division. After all that, those kids thought they were on top of the world.”
As of Thursday, Hughes said that he had already gotten an application to return to White Rock for the 2009 Canada Cup.
