It was a swing that caught the attention of everybody in the friendly confines of St. Pat’s.
Shilo Chislett launched a two-run homer, estimated to carry 30 or more feet over the fence on Little St. Pat’s, in the first inning to lead the Corner Brook Barons to a 2-0 win over Nova Scotia 2 in the showdown for bronze at the 2019 Atlantic 14U Girls Baseball Tournament Sunday afternoon in St. John’s.
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Taylor Burton reached first on an infield single before Chislett delivered the long bomb that helped her get the upper hand on her younger sibling Devaro who was playing with the Nova Scotia 2 team as a replacement player.
“It landed on big St. Pat’s so it was a monster,” coach Jason Mosher said of the homer. “There was no doubt about it. As soon as it was hit I put my arms up in the air.”
The two-run lead proved to be enough for winning pitcher Hannah Legge, a Cow Head native who was chosen her team’s MVP for her stellar pitching and lively bat throughout the six-team single round-robin affair hosted by the St. John’s Capitals.
Legge tossed five scoreless innings to get the win in the bronze-medal game, limiting the opposition to two hits and marking up 10 strikeouts in a dominant performance from the 14-year-old right-hander.
Christina Karn got the save for the Barons after picking up two strikeouts in the sixth and final inning as she closed the door to secure the bronze.
“She was impressive. She was locked in all game,” coach Mosher said of Legge’s performance in the battle for third place.
The Barons posted a 2-2 record in single round-robin play to position themselves for a shot at a medal. The Barons beat defending champion New Brunswick 7-6 before dumping Nova Scotia 2 by a 9-2 spread for its two round-robin wins, but they dropped in the standings after losing 12-2 to Nova Scotia 1 and 9-8 to Grand Falls-Windsor.
Coach Mosher was pleased to see the progress the girls had made over the past year. Only a year ago, at the same tournament, the Barons had a tough time competing with four losses in as many games.
It may be cliché to hear that it was a team effort, but coach Mosher insisted that it was an impressive effort from all hands and they all deserve a pat on the back for making a contribution.
“Every player on our team contributed in a big way at some point over the weekend,” he said. “That’s the only reason we got a bronze medal. I haven’t been part of a team that every player absolutely contributed to a win at some point over that tournament and it was very impressive.”
