Sue Norris
A FANTASTIC performance by the Gawler/Playford SAPSASA softball team saw the young side take home the gold medal after an undefeated week at West Beach.
The team was a mix of players from Two Wells, Trinity College, Gawler Rangers, Giants and Bluejays, and the group made it the second consecutive year Gawler/Playford has won gold in this annual event.
In Saturday’s Gawler & District Softball Association senior division one competition, Kangas and Giants both came out on top of high-scoring affairs.
Kangas handed Bluejays a 15-1 belting after piling on eight runs before their opponents even got a chance to bat.
The highlight of the offence came from Annabel Unger, who skied a monster home run to left field as Kangas put on run-scoring clinic.
Giants got the better of Two Wells in a tighter affair, finishing 8-10 winners after an incredible comeback.
Giants started on fire, retiring Two Wells quickly in the first innings before wasting no time with the bat, scoring two home run from the first two batters courtesy of Tara Lord and Tahlia Sutton.
The fourth and final inning was a heart stopper.
Two Wells took up the batting with nothing to lose and were able to catch fire to gain a small lead over the Giants.
With a hill to climb, Giants’ girls played smart and were able to inch their way back into the game, before late clutch hitting brought home the win.
In division two, the two Kangas sides fought to a competitive seven-all draw.
Kangas Grey led 7-5 going into the last inning from Kangas Blue, but the latter really stepped up defensively in the top of the third, with nothing more impressive than the spectacular catch taken at short stop by Kelly Varcoe.
Blue managed to cross home plate twice during the bottom of the third with clutch hits to Tammy Warner, Bronwen Smith and Michelle Rochford forcing the tie.
It was one-way traffic for Giants against Two Wells’ under-17 side, taking the match 17-2 after getting contributions from just about everyone in the line-up.