Falardeau brings home gold
It has been a memorable month on the baseball diamond for Zoe Falardeau.
The 12-year-old Welland native brought home a pair of medals from two prestigious tournaments on each side of the border.
The Grade 7 student at Ecole Nouvel Horizon in Welland was part of Team Ontario which captured gold at the U14 Western Canada Baseball Championship in Saskatchewan last week.
Earlier this month while playing for Toronto Dream, Falardeau won a bronze medal at the U.S. Nationals in Illinois competing against top-notch competition from San Francisco, Boston, New York and Los Angeles.
Falardeau more than held her own at both tournaments.
In Saskatchewan, Falardeau played outfield, second base and pitched. She picked up the win in the last round-robin game versus Alberta where she also collected three hits, had four runs batted in, and was awarded the player of the game.
Dad Jay Falardeau said his daughter was thrilled with the experience.
“She was over the moon. The chance to play with some older girls at a high level of baseball and to represent her province was something she has never done before. She was really excited about that.
“It was great to watch to see her enjoying herself and enjoying the game and competing at a high level. It was great for the development of girls baseball in Canada.”
Falardeau excelled despite being two years younger than many of the other players.
“She was the only 12-year-old who participated from Ontario,” Jay Falardeau said. “It’s primarily a 13-and 14-year-old tournament and she competed, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Her mechanics are solid and on the mound it’s the same dimensions she used to playing with when she plays with the boys in peewee. The pitching part was really easy in terms of were no adjustments were necessary.”
Team Ontario dominated the tournament with four lopsided wins in the round-robin before a 12-2 victory in the gold medal game.
“Our high-end and our depth pitching was better than the other provinces and there really wasn’t an easy out in the lineup. The pitchers didn’t get a break anywhere,” Jay Falardeau said.
With Toronto, where she was coached by Neal Bach, Falardeau starred on both sides of the ball, hitting .588 with a .632 on-base percentage, 1.412 slugging average, two doubles and six triples. She also stood out on the mound where she picked up a win while allowing just one earned run and striking out 19 in nine innings.
Falardeau will now turn her attention to the Ontario Baseball Association championships Labour Day weekend in Halton Hills with her Welland Mustangs peewee team.
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