Tuesday June 21
Lancaster
New Zealand Black Sox 15 GHFL 1
WP Nathan Taikaito, relief Jeremy Manley
LP Scott Wagar, relief Jim Hurst, Gord Scott Ballpark
Radio audio archive
New Zealand Black Sox 4 GHFL 0
WP Penese Iosefo
LP Andrew Putnam, relief Kyle Linton Ballpark
Radio audio archive
Wayne Laulu doubles in two runs in the top of the first.
Campbell Makea follows Laulu with a three-run home run in the top of
the first.
In the bottom of the first, Joel Langford reaches on an error, followed
by a double by Matt Lyon.
Adam Dearborn drives home Langford for the GHFL's only run.
Sixteen-year-old Pita Rona homers for his first hit as a Black Sox
member.
Rhys Casley lines a pitch off the shoulder of GHFL All-Star Jim Hurst,
only to have the ball tracked down by Joel Langford who flips to Jason
Young for the unconventional 1-4-6 double play
New Zealand Black Sox captain Rhys Casley drills a home run
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for poster
New Zealand
journey back to world dominance starts in St. Catharines
For immediate
release
June 13, 2011
When you're number
two, you try harder.
For
the New Zealand Black Sox, the down-under country's men's national
fastpitch softball team that's ranked #2 in the world, the hard work
toward regaining their former status as #1 begins next week in St.
Catharines.
The
Black Sox are kicking off a three-week tour of Ontario and New York
with a doubleheader at Lancaster Park against an all-star team from the
local Golden Horseshoe Fastball League on Tuesday June 21 at 7 pm and 9
pm. Admission is $5 at the gate for adults. Kids under 16 will get in
free. The Black Sox and GHFL players are holding a skills clinic
starting at 4:30 pm for boys and girls at Lancaster.
New
Zealand will be the host team for the 2013 International Softball
Federation World Championship to be held in the Auckland community of
North Harbour. The Kiwis will be searching for their fourth title in
the past five events. After winning three world titles in a row, the
Black Sox were shut out by Australia in the championship game in
Saskatoon in 2009.
Black
Sox coach Eddie Kohlhase believes this tour will lay the foundations
for the assault on the World Championships at Auckland's Rosedale Park
in March of 2013.
“This
tour provides further opportunity for our NZ players to play the best
competition in the world, says Kohlhase. “It also provides our players
a testing environment making sure we make every stride to achieve
optimum results on the field. The culture in the Black Sox environment
has installed the importance of preparation, with players not only
consistently performing week in and week out, but improving as they
strive to become the best they can be.”
“We
are grateful to the softball people of Canada who we respect so much
for what they do for our wonderful game. The competition on the diamond
is always fierce and the friendships that we have made over many years
of competition are lasting.”
This
latest tour is part of the immense preparation the Black Sox will
undertake to get ready for 2013. While there are some veterans on the
team, including captain Rhys Casley and Thomas Makea, there are many up
and coming players on the North American trip who are making their
national team debut.
Among
them is 16-year-old Pita Rona, who expected to be joined by his father
Brad, considered by many to be the best all-around player on the
planet. However knee surgery is keeping the elder Rona at home. The
younger Rona has been a spectator at many Black Sox events over the
years but now gets to don the uniform.
“In
2004 [at the world championships in Christchurch, NZ] and 2009 [in
Saskatoon, Canada], I was always just by the dugout, pretty much right
next to all the boys. In 2009, I thought `I want to be in the dugout
with them’ and now I am going to get to. I am just over the moon,” he
told New Zealand newspaper Stuff back in April.
Other
youngsters include 21-year-old Ben Enoka, who is also a member of the
Jarvis Travelers club team and will stay in Canada for the remainder of
the summer following the conclusion of the tour as the Travelers look
to repeat as world club-team champions in Illinois in August.
“The
youth component in our team is vital. We must keep on building this
team and ensuring we have the mix between experience and youful
enthusiasm just right. That's the secret for any team and we are no
different,” said Kohlhase. “It's exciting to have two outstanding
schoolboys in the team with Pita and Jerome Raemaki (another
16-year-old phenom). This is a great learning curve for them and one
they won't forget.”
For
the GHFL all-stars, this is an opportunity to compete against one of
the top teams in the world, while showcasing the local stars and
providing some exposure the sport.
“There's
some great fastball played around the Golden Horseshoe and for us to
take the field against an international team the calibre of the Black
Sox is a privilege,” says GHFL President Alex Szockyj. The Golden
Horseshoe league features four teams in the Niagara region, two in
Waterdown and two in Mississauga. Players from all eight league teams
will be competing.
2011 GHFL All-Stars
Coaches
Pete Chambers
Mark Korten
Pitchers
Scott Wagar
Andrew Putnam
Gord Scott
Jim Hurst
Kyle Linton
Tom Berube
Catchers
Adam Dearborn
Darrin Newson
Kevin Newhouse
Mark Cameron
1b
Mike Bateman
Kyle Davis
Mike Singer
Blair Setford
2b
Joel Langford
Tim Coe
Rob Greatrix
Jeff Kraynek
SS
Will Lake
Jason Young
Aaron Belding
Alex Szockyj
3b
Peter Dobbin
Matt Lyon
Rob O’Neill
Outfield
Dave Brownhill
Scott Young
Brian Prowse
Chris McColl
Trevor Falk
Dan Edholm
Darryl Breadner
Phil John
Dom Demasi
James Atkinson
