Yankees, Ocean Girls come out on top
Men's and Women's Tournament serves as warm up, fun times for all
Sarah Ladik
Northern News Services
Thursday, July 28, 2016
INUVIK
Softball once again took over Inuvik last weekend, with the annual Men's and Women's Tournament drawing teams from near and far.
Eric Cockney swings at the ball in the final men's game of the tournament July 24. - Sarah Ladik/NNSL photo
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"It went really great this weekend," said organizer Donnie Hendrick, adding that eight men's teams and six women's teams turned out for the event.
The winners of the ladies' division, the Ocean Girls, took top spot over Rebecca's Rowdy Roses in the final July 24, 29-12. Team captain Deanna McPherson said the weekend had been "awesome" and that she was especially proud of the team for coming together so well at the last minute.
"We had players from Tuk, Aklavik and Inuvik," she told the Drum.
"We don't usually play together - some of us didn't even know each other. This is our first year playing together."
The team went undefeated over the weekend, and McPherson said they mercied three teams in the process.
"I think it was just our chemistry," she said.
"We all came together really well and had a lot of fun."
On the men's side, the winning team has had slightly more time to get to know each other. The Yankees - who won out over Northwind 29-6 - will be representing the territory at the nationals in Whitehorse starting next week.
"We wanted to get together and play for the weekend," said Hendrick, who plays for the Yankees.
"It helped us get ready for next week."
The Yankees also went undefeated over the course of the tournament, with only one team giving them a run for their money with a final score of 15-8 in seven innings. They mercied all other teams they played in five innings. Hendrick said teams still wanted to test their mettle against the defending champs.
As for whether they would see similar results at nationals, Hendrick was more cautious. He said the opposing teams the Yankees will face are the best in Canada, and have come through regional and provincial tournaments to get to the finals.
"It's so close this year, that's why we threw a team in," he said, noting that if the tournament was anywhere else, the team would have had to fundraise all year to travel.
"We know it's going to be tough but we're looking forward to it."
