2023 Annual Rose City 9U Champs
On the weekend of June 23-25, the Welland Jr. Jackfish 9U team played in the Annual Rose City Championships. In round-robin play, the Jackfish squared off against squads from Georgina, Clarington, and East York, winning all three games by scores of 19-4, 14-4, and 19-3 respectively. The bats were on fire and the defence was stifling through the first two days.
In Sunday morning's semi-final, the Jackfish faced a familiar league foe in St. Catharines. The Cobras jumped out to a six-run lead through three innings, while holding the Jackfish scoreless. Over the next three innings, the Jackfish found their stride defensively and were able to tie the game, capped off by a solo home run in the bottom of the 6th. The match needed two extra innings to determine a winner as both teams were locked in defensively. The Cobras came out swinging in the top of the 9th and took a comfortable 9-6 lead going into the bottom half. The boys from Rose City, however, were not ready to hang it up. Spurred by a leadoff triple, the Jackfish was able to plate the necessary four runs, sealed by a walk-off, slump-busting single to right centre field.
In the Championship final, the Jackfish once again met up with Clarington and were able to put together a solid, well-balanced game, defeating the Orioles 11-1 to bring home the Championship.
The coaches and players would like to thank everyone who pitched in over the weekend to make the tournament a success.
The Jackfish have two weeks of regular season play before heading to Brantford July 7-9 where they hope to continue their tournament success.
