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Read All Latest NewsLangford Lightning Win Canadian Girls’ U-19 Softball Championship
The Langford Lightning, keyed by tournament MVP Peyton Bryden’s grand-slam homer, defeated the White Rock Renegades ’05 by an 8-1 count Sunday in the all-B.C. final of the Canadian U-19 girls’ softball championship tournament at Centennial Park.
Shortstop Bryden is committed to Winthrop and is among a trio of Lightning players headed to play in NCAA Div. 1 next month, including national-team pitcher Ruby Anderson at Fresno State and second-base Taitumn Reynen at Utah State. As well, Brynn Fortier and Marin Jorgenson are headed to the UBC Thunderbirds, Kamryn Allin to UBC-Okanagan and Kaela Gillis to Weatherford College in Texas.
The talented group, which also includes Emma Pepin, Makena Aune, Kaliyah St. Amand, Courtney Haslam, Jenna Lehman and Mary McKenzie, added the national U-19 crown to the Canadian U-17 championship the Lightning won last year.
“We were resilient,” said Lightning head coach Chad Bryden, who club finished with a 7-1 record on the weekend.
“We lost to Ontario-2 in the round-robin portion but the players didn’t let it affect them and they ran the table in the playoff round. It was an all-round effort as our players hit the ball incredibly well and also pitched well and played great defence.”
The 16 best U-19 teams from across the country had gathered at Centennial Park for the national championship tournament, including Beacon Hill Glory.