The weekend produced some noteworthy mentions including a win for the Essex Ravens that earned them a chance to defend their OSFL title.
The Essex Ravens beat Cornwall 34-10 on the road and will now host the Hamilton Jr. Ticats for the championship Saturday night at Alumni Field. "Our kids were real physical." said head coach Glen Mills. "The offensive line completely dominated the line of scrimmage. The defence was flying all over the field. They played really really well."
Mills feels his team is hitting its stride after two big playoff wins. They also look forward to another shot at Hamilton who handed the Ravens their only loss of the season 18-17 on June 24th. "I honestly believe it was probably something that changed our entire season around." Mills said about the loss that ended a streak of 36 straight wins. "It was great to have the streak but you gotta get better each week and I didn't think we were getting better each week. Since then we've pulled up our socks and every single week we're getting better and it shows. We got our second opportunity."
The Windsor Clippers U22 team beat Wallaceburg 5-4 to win the Zone 7 championship. Hudson Dalpe scored the game winner late in the game to secure the comeback win that saw the Clippers overcome a 3-1 third period deficit. It was a good way for the team to end their summer season. "Bunch of guys that were rookies with the Clippers, it was good for them to extend their season and get some playing time after our early exit from the playoffs."
The Tecumseh Thunder 16U team won the Niagara Summer Showcase Tournament. The Thunder beat the New York Tonawanda Thunderwolves 4-2 in the final. "The boys played with heart and determination." said head coach Jayme Hall whose team went 5-0. It was also an emotional win for Hall. He lost his mother two years and the team won the tournament on her birthday. "The kids played extra hard and were determined because they knew how much it meant to me."
It was their last tournament of the summer. Players will get some workouts in during the month of August to prepare for tryouts after the Labour Day weekend.
Former St. Clair College fastpitch standout Trisha Whaley is the newest inductee into the Windsor Fastpitch Softball Hall of Fame. Whaley helped lead the Saints to back to back provincial gold medals in 2008 and 2009. Overall she accumulated two golds, two silvers and a bronze at provincials during her five year career at St. Clair. "She was huge in those wins." said former head coach Bill Smith. "I really enjoyed coaching her."
The shortstop was a leader and a captain for the Saints. "She was always a big hitter for us. That was probably one of her main contributions but defensively as well."
The Selects beat their CPBL rivals the Toronto Mets 7-4 to win the Michigan All-Prospects Tournament. Windsor went undefeated with a 6-0 record to cap off their season. The team is graduating 13 players.
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