Another tournament win for girls’ softball

This past weekend, the Team Quebec U23 women’s softball team took home another tournament win, this time from the Bandits Bash in Tyngsboro, Massachusetts.

This team features two individuals from the community, Bonnie Zachary and Emily Meloche.

The team dominated the competition, winning all six of their games, according to Valerie Horn, Zachary’s mother, on their way to earning the gold medal.

The group was the only Canadian team at the tournament. “It’s cool to get invited. It’s always a fun trip, and it’s always a good competition too,” said Zachary.

“I liked the whole tournament. It was a really good turnout. I went to school in Massachusetts, so I got to see some old friends. It was very fun. It’s always fun to stay in the hotel with my teammates and just being able to get out and have fun in a different place for a weekend,” continued Zachary.

While Zachary doesn’t plan to continue in competitive softball after this year, she has had fun playing in the past and will continue to have fun with her games to come, especially at the tournament in August.

“She gave me and her family 15 years of fun and memories,” said Horn. “She’s done everything she could in softball. And she did it with full heart and intention. I’ll always support her on and off the field.”

Meloche’s favourite moment was the team’s semi-final win.

“That game honestly felt more like a final. The team was very strong, and a lot of the players currently play in the NCAA for schools like Stanford, Boston University, and so on,” said Meloche.

Zachary also enjoyed that game, even contributing a diving catch.

“It’s always exciting, but a bit nerve-wracking too. She does everything full throttle,” said Horn. “For me it makes me nervous because I don’t want her to get hurt, but when she makes the play I stop holding my breath,” said Horn.

Both Meloche and Zachary agree that the semi-finals was their favourite game to play over the weekend. They appreciated the challenge, especially coming off a mercy rule win in their previous tournament.

Meloche said how the final game, while still being very fun, wasn’t as challenging as the semi-final game.

“The final went back and forth the whole game, but the team wasn’t as strong. We just had to find the last of our energy to come out with the win,” said Meloche

“We now have two back-to-back gold medals and are hoping for a third at our last tournament of the summer,” said Meloche, referring to nationals.

That tournament is taking place in Saskatchewan during August, where the Quebec team will play against all different teams around Canada.

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