The Palmerston Novice Marlins returned from the Canadian National Softball Jamboree tournament held Aug. 6 to 9 with a silver medal.
The Marlins played Delta Heat in their first game on Aug. 6 and lost 12-4. Travel and time change were not on the Marlins side for the first few games, team officials note.
The next day, the team took to the diamond against the Chilliwack Mayhem and lost 11-3. The Marlins ended Thursday with a tight 2-1 loss over the host team White Rock. The team then headed to downtown Vancouver, visiting Canada Place and shopping in Gastown.
Friday they hit the diamond bright eyed and started adjusting to the time change and travel schedule, beating PEI and the Surrey Storm to head into last round robin game on Saturday with 2-3 record and a chance to go to the top four.
They beat Napanee 5-0 to advance to the semi-finals later Saturday in a rematch with Chilliwack Mayhem.
This time the girls dug deep and beat them 6-4 to advance to the gold medal game on Sunday against the undefeated Delta Heat.
The game ended with an 8-1 final score in favour of Delta.
Marlins officials called the experience “a fantastic finish to an incredible week for some very talented young athletes who learned a lot about team work, digging and staying focused in the big game.”
The tournament committee awarded the Palmerston Marlins the Spirit Award for showing a great attitude on and off the diamond and sharing the love of the game with people they met all week long.
The team expressed thanks to everyone who sent well wishes or made donations to assist with their trip.
“The support for these young ladies has been overwhelming and the trip could not have happened without it,” officials state. “Coaches, parents, family and friends are extremely proud of these young talented athletes for their commitment to the game, their Sportsmanship and pride in playing for our province and for bringing home the silver medal.”
