It was a weekend for all levels of softball players in South Surrey, from young, first-time players to elite U13A athletes who won their second straight tournament title.<\/p>\n
From Crescent Park to Sunnyside Park, the South Surrey White Rock Minor Softball Association hosted hundreds of players, families, volunteers, and visiting teams June 4-7, contributing to what many described as one of the most successful weekends in recent history, according to SSWRMSA president Thomas Bell.<\/p>\n
Festivities began on Thursday (June 4), as 15 teams from SSWRMSA\u2019s Learn to Play and U7 levels gathered at Crescent Park for FunFest, where the association\u2019s youngest athletes enjoyed an event centred on fun, featuring softball games, face painting, and a popular bouncy castle.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is impossible not to smile watching our youngest players fall in love with the game,\u201d Bell said in an email. \u201cFunFest is about joy and community. Our rep player leaders help us run these programs, some of whom started in Learn to Play. These full-circle moments are special. All of the players remind us why we do what we do.\u201d<\/p>\n
On Saturday (June 6), 12 U9 teams took part in their own FunFest at Sunnyside Park, blending softball, family involvement, and community spirit, Bell continued. Players enjoyed multiple games, a home run derby, and a picnic lunch, all while being on the same fields as the Rep A teams, soaking in the excitement and inspiration of a high-level tournament.<\/p>\n
The U13A Veterans Cup at Sunnyside welcomed top U13A teams from across the Greater Vancouver region.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis tournament shows our younger players what is ahead for them,\u201d Bell noted. \u201cThey see the speed, the skill, the teamwork, and they realise that with hard work, they can get there too.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thunder 2013A rose to the occasion and delivered a championship performance that reflected both preparation and confidence, with the team capped an outstanding weekend with a commanding 6-0 victory over Fraser Valley Fusion 2013A in Sunday\u2019s final, securing its second straight tournament title and its second consecutive perfect record.<\/p>\n
Thunder\u2019s pitching duo of Isha Hundal and Kiara Dhaliwal combined for a complete game shutout, holding Fusion to three hits, Bell shared. Hundal set the tone early with three no-hit innings and three strikeouts; Dhaliwal followed with four strong innings of her own, allowing just three hits, striking out four, and issuing no walks, sealing the championship with a strikeout for the final out.<\/p>\n
Thunder opened the scoring in the second inning when Hundal delivered a clean RBI single. The game remained close until the fourth, when Thunder\u2019s offence erupted for five runs and took full control, Bell continued. The decisive inning showcased the depth of the lineup: Katie Durston doubled to score one run, Dhaliwal drew a bases loaded walk, Ellen Stevens singled in another, Anwin Mills walked to bring home a run, and Samaya Sangha added a walk to push the lead to 6 to 0.<\/p>\n
Durston and Hundal each collected two hits in the win, while Stevens, Durston, Sangha, Mills, and Hundal all drove in one run; Fusion\u2019s offence was unable to break through Thunder\u2019s pitching and defence.<\/p>\n
Head coach Stefan Durston praised his team\u2019s composure and execution on their home field.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur players showed tremendous poise in a championship environment,\u201d Durston said. \u201cIsha and Kiara were outstanding in the circle, and the team\u2019s ability to string together quality at bats in the fourth inning made the difference. This group continues to raise its level every time they step on the field.\u201d<\/p>\n
The victory adds another championship to Thunder 2013A\u2019s season, coming just weeks after the team\u2019s gold medal at the Canadian Pride and Power Tournament. With back-to-back titles and a roster filled with homegrown talent, the group continues to set the standard for U13A softball in the region, Bell said.<\/p>\n
He also noted that, in North Vancouver, SSWRMSA\u2019s U11 Rep Thunder 2015 team \u2014 led by head coach Kyle Stevens \u2014 captured gold at North Shore Fastpitch\u2019s Quest For The Ring U11 Rep Tournament after finishing first overall.<\/p>\n
The championship marks the team\u2019s fifth medal of the season, Bell shared, adding to three silver medals and a previous gold earned in the silver bracket.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis group has been knocking on the door all season,\u201d Stevens said. \u201cTo finally break through and win a championship in the top bracket shows their resilience and belief in each other. I could not be prouder.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bell emphasised that the success of all four days was the result of exceptional teamwork across the association.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese events do not happen without an army of dedicated people,\u201d he said. \u201cOur volunteers, field crew, umpires, coaches, and players all contributed to an unforgettable weekend for our community.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bell also offered special thanks to tournament director Angela Humphrey, whose leadership ensured smooth operations across multiple venues and age groups.<\/p>\n
He also expressed gratitude to the City of Surrey for the recent renovations at Sunnyside Park.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe upgrades at Sunnyside have transformed the facility,\u201d Bell said. \u201cWe are proud to host major events on fields that our players can call home. The city\u2019s support allows our association to continue growing and thriving.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It was a weekend for all levels of softball players in South Surrey, from young, first-time players to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":723786,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[194299],"tags":[49,48,87674],"class_list":["post-723785","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-surrey","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-surrey"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/723785","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=723785"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/723785\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/723786"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=723785"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=723785"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=723785"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}