The 2001 Delta Heat are national champions for the very first time and they did it in thrilling fashion in their own backyard.
The rep “A” girls fastpitch team captured the U16 Canadian Championship with a breathtaking 6-5 win over B.C. rival Surrey 2001 Storm before a packed crowd on Sunday night at North Delta Community Park.
The Heat’s road to glory was as tough as a 28-team tournament could offer.
A round-robin loss on Thursday put the girls in do-or-die mode for the remainder of the weekend. They proceeded to win three straight to slip into the eight-team championship round and four more in the playoffs to reach the final against the well-rested Storm.
The defending and two-time national champion had somewhat breezed through its schedule, outscoring its opponents 72-8 over six round-robin games and two more in the playoffs.
The gold medal game was a rematch of the 2015 U14 Canadian final in Victoria that saw Surrey prevail 2-1 in extra innings. The latest chapter of the rivalry would live up to the hype and then some.
The Storm jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first and cruised through the first two innings behind standout pitcher Emma Moreno. The Heat began to chip away, scoring once in the third, on a RBI hit from Kianna Jones, then tied the game an inning later on bases loaded singles from Megan Hendrickson and Gabby Dorval.
It remained deadlocked until the seventh which produced one of the best-ever finishes in any sport played in Delta given what was at stake.
The Heat scored three times in their half inning thanks to a clutch double from Hendrickson to plate Hanna Hansen and Jones. An infield single from Olivia Malesku cashed in Henrickson to make it 6-3.
Henrickson, who was outstanding in relief, promptly retired two straight batters and the hosts were one out from the gold medal. However, the Storm weren’t going to bow out that easily.
They produced three straight hits to cut the margin to 6-4. With runners on the corners, a double down the left field line scored another but the tying run was thrown out at home — sending the Heat and their supporters into a frenzy.
“(The Storm) have been winning most of the battles until now,” beamed Delta head coach Bill Olexa. “Gold was the only award they wanted and (after that early loss) it just put more determination in the girls. To win this on our home diamond is phenomenal. I can’t say enough about the girls”
“It’s all about them and what they want to achieve. They give me direction and I just lead. When these kids want to put their mind to something it’s fun to be around.”
The Heat’s draw was surprisingly difficult for a team that won the provincial title a couple of weeks earlier.
Delta’s pool group included the Alberta champions (River City), B.C. runner-up (Victoria) and the third and fourth seeds out of Ontario (Brampton and Waterloo).
Delta edged Victoria 2-1 Friday night to earn the group’s final championship berth but would have to win two extra playoff games as the second place finisher. The girls proceeded to eliminate three straight provincial champions — Manitoba (7-0), Alberta (3-1) and Ontario (6-1) — before trimming the White Rock 2002 Renegades (3-2) on Sunday afternoon.
Hendrickson’s all-round play earned her the playoff MVP award. Aymee Godmaire was named a tournament all-star at second base thanks to .600 batting average.
The team also includes: Jessie Westrate, Emily Horne, Amy De Ste Croix, Rawnie Weststrate, Veronica Sawatzky, Maya Gauley, and Stephanie Schina.
The coaching staff also features Bob Houtman, Doug Harris, Francais Olexa, and Tory Cardinal.
