Friday was the final day of competition for Women’s Softball at the Niagara 2022 Canada Summer Games, with three teams in the hunt for the gold medal after an action-packed playoff day on Thursday.
 
Quebec 6 vs. Ontario 5
 
In a rematch from a game played earlier this week with Quebec winning 8-3, Quebec got on the board early with a leadoff single by Naomi Cohen later followed by an error before Emily Meloche hit an RBI single to right. In the bottom of the third, Quebec got the bats going and exploded for five more runs. Naomi Pelletier drew a one-out walk followed by a pair of singles by Meloche and by Annabelle Guay to score Pelletier. Léa Fréchette singled to load the bases, followed by an RBI ground out, a two-run single to third by Emma Duncan and a run-scoring single by Cohen for the 6-0 lead.
 
Looking to chip away at the big lead, Ontario came roaring back in the top of the fifth. Amy Hughes and Katina Duscio started the inning with singles and later scored on a double to center by Kaitlyn Kim, followed by a run-scoring triple by Sierra Baltzer and an RBI double by Kait Achtermaier to make the score 6-4. Duscio added a solo homerun to right in the top of the sixth, and Ontario proceeded to load the bases on a walk and two singles in the seventh but Quebec pitcher Emma Duncan induced a shallow fly out to left and struck out the next batter to end the game.
 
Léa Chevrier started the game for Quebec and allowed four runs in five innings before Duncan closed out the last two innings. Tierney Hocquard was saddled with the loss, with Rayven Buchanan pitching three innings and a third of scoreless relief.
 
British Columbia 10 vs. Quebec 0
 
After the emotional high of winning earlier in the day, Quebec faced the four-time defending gold medallists Team BC in the gold medal game. British Columbia jumped all over them in the first, loading the bases on an error, a walk and a single by Ry Binne before a walk scored the first run. Morgan Reimer followed with a two-run single, Gabby Papushka laced a run-scoring double and Abby McGlynn hit an RBI single to center with a second runner scoring on an error on the play for a quick 6-0 lead.
 
Ella Herrewig and Reimer both singled in the second, with Herrewig scoring a ground out. In the third, Shae Sever singled and later scored on a single by Camryn Milley, then in the fourth Reimer singled and came in to score on a walk-off two-run homerun to center by McGlynn to end the game on the run rule in four innings.
 
Reimer went 3-for-3 at the plate and earned the win in the pitcher’s circle, allowing two hits and striking out two in two innings. She finished the tournament with a 4-1 record in the circle, a 0.78 ERA and 36 strikeouts in 26 innings and two thirds, leading the event in both wins and strikeouts.
 
British Columbia won their fifth consecutive gold medal at the event, while the silver medal was Quebec’s best-ever finish in Women’s Softball. Ontario won their second consecutive bronze medal.
 
Janique Balcaen (MB) and Emily Meloche (QC) led the tournament with 12 hits and a .609 batting average each, Katina Duscio (ON) led with three homeruns and Amy Hughes (ON) and Kaitlyn Kim (ON) tied for the tournament lead in RBIs with 10. Kim also led with 13 runs scored.