Fury 06A wins Silver at Canada Cup U17A Showcase Gold tourney!
Fury 06A wins Silver at Canada Cup U17A Showcase Gold tourney!
It has been quite the journey for Fury 06A, making their first appearance in the Canada Cup after a two-year hiatus for the event during the pandemic and these young athletes made the most of their opportunity despite some major setbacks as the tournament start date neared. Some tremendous ball has been played this season and the team has had some great performances against tough competition not only in BC, but also Arizona, Washington, and California. Injuries had begun to hit the team as they prepared to head into Canada Cup even bringing into question if the team would be able to compete. With exams and injuries and illness taking a toll the team rallied strong with some great coaching support (THANKS COACH JENN AND COACH KIM) to help work through having to bring in an almost entirely new pitching staff. The roster (THANKS EG, GEORGIA, SKYLAR AND MILA) was now going to include the addition of younger players getting their opportunity to play a year or two early in the much-anticipated event that featured international teams including Team Canada and eventual winner Team USA, but also teams from across the country and the US at the U17A and U19A level.
After a grueling 6 game round robin schedule where the team had difficulty fielding a healthy roster, the group was able to overcome some tough one run losses and make it into the championship round with a 3-3 record and an unfortunate 7th seed with a difficult path through the playoff bracket to get to the final. That wasn’t enough to slow down this resilient bunch, who came out swinging against some of the top teams winning three straight playoff games against Storm 05A, Renegades 05A and Storm 06A to earn their shot at GOLD. Under the hot sun and surrounded by the international teams playing through their respective championship rounds the team showed their talent and grit, battling it out with a Fusion 05A team that had gone 9-1 in the tournament to that point and won their previous two playoff games by the run ahead rule.
It was a tremendously played game by both teams, with stellar pitching, highlight reel defensive plays, and of course some offensive fireworks. After getting out to an early lead, Fury 06A felt the push back of the more experienced Fusion squad who took a 3-1 lead heading to the 4th before the teams traded runs, setting up for a wild finish to a great game. With the score 4-2 in the 6th Cloverdale was able to plate a run in the top of the inning and then score again in the 7th to tie the game at 4 with Fusion coming to bat in the bottom of the 7th and final inning. It was not to be as a walk off double was able to score the runner from second to end a very exciting 5-4 game and an exceptional experience for both teams.
Way to go Fury 06A! Congratulations on your SILVER medal performance and a great first showing for Cloverdale in the Canada Cup Showcase Gold event in 2022!
