The Langford Lightning Bantam C girls used a big inning in the South Island district softball championship final Sunday to beat Salt Spring Island 6-4 at Centennial Park in Central Saanich.
The small-island team led 3-2 after two innings and 4-2 after four before the Lightning rallied for four runs in the fifth.
Both finalists qualified for the under-16C provincial tournament, set for July 4 to 6 in Port Alberni. Lightning head coach Mike Dixon said his girls showed character with the victory and should be very competitive at the B.C.s.
“I would definitely say that the best hitting team is the one that dominates there,” he said. “You’ve got to go out and hit the ball solid.”
While the Lightning featured what Dixon characterized as the best defence in the league, they came through with the bats when it mattered on the weekend.
They opened with a 5-2 win Saturday over the Brett Barwis-coached Lightning squad, won 13-2 over Oak Bay-Carnarvon and downed Salt Spring 11-9 in the winner’s bracket final.
Dixon’s team has one league game left, against Peninsula. A win there will tie them with Central Saanich for top spot in the regular season.
District playdowns in other age and skill levels also happened last weekend and are ongoing leading up to the various provincial tournaments.
View Royal hosts the lone provincial tournament in the region, the U14A girls championship, July 4 to 6 at Centennial Park on Helmcken Road.
Langford and View Royal also host the U12C regional tournaments this weekend.
editor@goldstreamgazette.com