5th March 2024

By Tony Smith

The Kaiapoi Queens are back-to-back Canterbury women’s softball champions after two emphatic shutout wins in the finals series.

Kaiapoi go into the national women’s interclub championships in Christchurch from Thursday as Canterbury’s best title hope after 7-0 and 2-0 finals wins over the Papanui Tigers last Saturday.

After the Queens retained their crown, a tribute was paid to their longserving coach Mike McDowell and his 10-year quest to have Kaiapoi become the top team in town.

In a post on the club’s Facebook page, Kaiapoi official Les Quinn noted how McDowell had battled hard in 2014 to earn premier grade status for the Queens.

“Mike has coached every premier game for the Queens since then,’’ Quinn wrote.  “The sacrifice of time and energy (and some lose of hair) is testament to resilience and never giving up.’’

McDowell has been instrumental in developing Kaiapoi’s home-grown players – most notably his and Jaye Bailey’s three daughters – Nerissa, Layla and McKenzie.

But Kaiapoi have also gained from some canny recruitment. Catcher Lindsay Thomas – a five-year Kaiapoi player – was joined this year by fellow American Amber Shisler and longtime Dutch international Britt Vonk.

Shisler tossed a pair of shut-out games against Papanui while Vonk’s class at shortstop and left-handed hitting, complemented Thomas’ power at the plate.

The Queens reigned supreme from the outset in the opening finals series game, winning 7-0 in five innings.

Despite two snappy early outs by Papanui’s American shortstop Casidy Chaumont, Kaiapoi racked up six runs in the first two frames.

Vonk hit up the middle to score McKenzie Bailey-McDowell in the bottom of the first, and the floodgates opened in the second. After Kaiapoi had added their second run, McKenzie smashed a hit up the middle, which was fumbled in centrefield allowing Oriana Connell and Rome Collins-Cross to score.

Thomas drove a Brittany Terrey change-up over second base to the outfield fence to score McKenzie for run five, and she later scored when Schisler got a fielder’s choice RBI as Papanui elected for the out at first base.

Kaiapoi clinched it with their seventh run in the bottom of the fourth when Schisler clouted a glancing hit off Terrey to drive in second base Arnora Hesp.

The second encounter was much closer with Terrey pitching a tighter game. Papanui had an early chance when leadoff Chaumont hit a deep triple, but was left stranded at third base.

Kaiapoi’s ability to jump out of the blocks again proved decisive.

Thomas hit a line drive to centrefield where the ball was fumbled allowing her to scamper to second base.  Shisler drew a walk.

Vonk, a multiple Olympian with the Netherlands and an-ex US collegiate player, faked a bunt so Thomas could swipe third and collected an RBI when Thomas scored during a fielder’s choice out at first base.

Vonk added the second run when a hit was dropped behind second base.

The two first innings runs proved the only scoring action of the game as Shisler and Terrey settled in to frustrate their rival hitters.

Kaiapoi’s title defence was well deserved – they boated the best hitting lineup in Canterbury this season, and in Shisler and Junior White Sox hurler McKenzie Bailey-Dowell, with Thomas behind the dish, they had the best battery unit too.

Terrey threw a fine game and batted in the winning run as Papanui beat Stratos Halswell Hornets 1-0 in last Friday’s semifinal. Going head-to-head with Halswell’s former White Sox rep Amy Begg, Terrey completed a deserved shutout, taking four strikeouts for just two safe hits.

Papanui’s winning run came in the top of the seventh when catcher Caitlin Davidson doubled down the third-base/left field line and scootted home on Terrey’s right field double.

Three of Papanui’s four hits off Begg were extra-base efforts, with Davidson and Terrey’s doubles preceded by Chaumont’s first inning triple. The ex-American collegiate golden glove infielder also had a single for a.666 average.

In the other women’s game at the weekend, PCU Angels beat the Riccarton Maidens 12-4 in the playoff for fourth and fifth. The game featured 20 hits (12 to PCU, 8 to Riccarton), and largely went the Angels ways after five misfields by the Maidens. Stephani Fairclough smacked a home run, Kaiyah Ratu had a triple and pitcher Madison Dysart batted two from three for the Angels.

Papanui were without ace NSW pitcher Grace Wrixon for the finals series because she was on international duty for Australia in a test series against Chinese Taipei in Sydney. But she and her NSW state catcher will be in harness for the women’s interclubs at Dynasty Ballpark this week.

Of the six Christchurch premier clubs, only Sydenham Kereru will be missing from the 14-team field.

Seven Canterbury players - Mikayla Werahiko, McKenzie Bailey-McDowell, Brittany Terrey, Lucy McIntyre, Kaiyah Ratu, Cherie Inwood and Stella Jorgensen – were named in the NZ White Sox training squad last week and most will get a chance to impress national coach Donny Hale in Christchurch.

Finals weekend:

Playoff 4th and 5th: PCU Angels 12 Riccarton Maidens 4.

Semifinal: Papanui Tigers 1 Halswell Hornets 0.

Grand final series

Game 1: Kaiapoi Queens 7 Papanui 0 (5 innings)

Game 2: Kaiapoi 2 Papanui 0.

2024 CHAMPIONS: KAIAPOI QUEENS.

Article added: Thursday 07 March 2024