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Langford Lightning Win Canadian Girls’ U-19 Softball Championship

Langford 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.

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