An undefeated Team Canada won the gold medal final vs. TC Colorado at the Canada Cup International Softball Championship in South Surrey Sunday.
The international softball competition, which drew more than 1,500 high-level fastpitch players to Softball City in Surrey over the 10-day tournament June 28-July 7, finished under sunny skies and scorching temperatures July 7 between the Canadian team, who dominated the event with only wins, and their powerhouse opponent.
"We are extremely proud of this year's tournament, which showcased exceptional play across all divisions – from the Women's International Division to our Futures and Showcase Divisions," said tournament chair Greg Timm.
"The level of athleticism and competitiveness displayed really showcased the explosive growth of women in sports. We want to thank everyone, from our staff and volunteers to the players and fans, for showing up to support these exceptional girls and women.”
The International Division featured some of the world’s best, including Team Canada, Team Philippines, Team Mexico, Team Australia, Team TC Colorado, Team Israel, Team Greece, Team Ukraine, Saskatchewan 222’s, Team Czechia, Team Chinese Tapei, Team Hong Kong, and Team New Zealand. After going undefeated for the entire run of the tournament, Team Canada faced off against TC Colorado in the gold medal game on Sunday night. The women put on a stunning performance for the home crowd with a definitive 7-0 win and a perfect 8-0 record in thee tournament.
With a roster full of players from White Rock, Surrey, Maple Ridge, Delta and Abbotsford, the team featured plenty of fierce Lower Mainland talent. White Rock's Sara Groenewegen was starting pitcher in the championship game, while Erika Polidori received an All-Star Award for her stellar outfield play during the tournament.
The team will head to Italy next for the 2024 Women's Softball World Cup later this month.
The 10-day event included four other divisions: Futures Select (U19), Futures Gold (U19), Showcase Select (17U) and Showcase Gold (17U), and saw 517 games played at Softball City and other SUrrey venues.
Canada Cup also supports its SuperKids program, an initiative meant to give every child the opportunity to play softball and experience community support.
“This tournament represents the unifying power of sport to transcend politics and bring people from all over the world together. Despite no softball at this year’s Paris 2024 Olympics, the level of play showcased during this tournament is setting the stage for a stellar return to the Olympics in 2028 in Los Angeles,” said Timm.
Softball city is now in full preparation for the August Surrey 2024 ISC Men’s World Tourney, running August 10-17, and in 2025 the Canada Cup will return to Softball City from July 4-13.
Visit canadacup.com for more information.
