The Williams Lake Rowdies marched away from the Mexico Travel Link Slo-Pitch Tournament, hosted in the Dominican Republic, with a silver medal.
The tournament, hosted in Punta Cana, featured eight teams — some international teams and some Canadian teams — including TT Darzo (Punta Cana), Santana (Puerto Plata), Cleats and Cleavage (Quesnel), Happy Campers (Alberta), Yo Soy Un Barcelo (Punta Cana) and Mixed Nuts (Alberta).
Rowdies captain Linda Barbondy said this was the seventh international tournament the Rowdies have competed in.
“We’ve been to the Dominican three times, we’ve been to Mexico, Cuba, Jamaica and now back to Punta Cana,” she said.
“Our team played the best its played at any of them.
“Everything went excellent, and the weather was crazy in the mid-30s the whole time we were there.”
The Rowdies began play Feb. 22 with two seeding games, tying TT Darzo 12-12, then thumping Quesnel, 9-1.
In their first playoff game they shut out the Happy Campers, 20-0, before playing what Barbondy said was the game of the tournament against Yo Soy Un Barcelo.
“They were a really good team, and they won the tournament last year,” she said. “But this time we beat them 8-7, which gave us a bye to the final.”
There, they met TT Darzo again, falling 12-8.
“We played good ball,” she said.
“In the final game we were ahead half the game. It was tied in the second, then we were ahead in the fourth and fifth, then everything went bad in the sixth inning.”
Twelve players suited up for the Rowdies during the tournament, part of a group of 24 people who made the trip the first week. Week two saw16 total stick around to help keep score and cheer them on.