The Bulldogs softball team had another great run in the 2013 NWAACC Softball Championship Tournament, bringing home the fourth place trophy for the third year in a row! The Dawgs are one of only two teams to earn a trophy each of the last three years with the other being Mt. Hood – pretty good company to keep.
The double-elimination tournament was played at Delta Park in Portland, Oregon, and after opening with a 14-1 win against Centralia on Friday, May 17, the Dawgs lost their second game to North rival Douglas College 8-3, which dropped Bellevue into the loser’s bracket. As is often the case in Portland, the weather can be consistently inconsistent: there can be sunshine one minute, chilling wind the next, and steady drizzle the next. In addition to having to fight their way back through the loser’s bracket, the Bulldogs would have to battle the elements on Saturday, but fight they did! The Bulldogs first took on Olympic, beating the Rangers 7-0, then moved on to take out Pierce College 6-1. Next up was Clackamas, the team that knocked Bellevue out of the tournament in 2012. The game started late afternoon Saturday with low, heavy clouds and by the top of the third inning, with Bellevue leading 1-0, the sky opened up and the rains came. Officials halted the game for the day and scheduled it for completion on Sunday.
The Bulldogs returned to the field Sunday morning and won their third straight game in two days, beating Clackamas by a final score of 4-1. However, Douglas College had fallen into the loser’s bracket as well, following a 4-1 defeat to Wenatchee Valley, and the Bulldogs had to face the Royals for the sixth time this season. The Bulldogs team battled hard, showed great resilience and heart, but eventually lost the game to Douglas 9-1, earning fourth place for Bellevue. Said head coach Leah Francis, “While we finished just short of the title game, it was another amazing year for Bulldog softball.” Francis added, “I’d like to give a huge, huge thanks to all our fans for being so supportive of this group of players and coaches. Without them, there is no way we could have achieved this level of success! We are so very proud of all our players, coaches, families and fans for a wonderful and memorable 2013 season! We are looking forward to 2014.”
THE BIGGEST BUZZ OF ALL!
Bellevue College may have finished fourth in the NWAACC Championship and Douglas College second, but the Bulldogs earned a true FIRST PLACE finish in the way they wrapped up their tournament appearance. The backstory: in 2012, when Douglas had lost but Bellevue was still playing in the tournament, the Royals team stayed to cheer on the Bulldogs. This year, the Bulldogs returned the favor.
After losing to Douglas and being knocked out of the Championship competition, Bellevue head coach Leah Francis texted the Douglas Royals head coach Gord Collings, to let him know of the Bulldog team plans and asked to borrow Royals’ jerseys for a show of solidarity. The results are best told in the email words of coach Collings:
We may have finished second – but check this out! This has to be a first!
Carling’s dad, Marty Hare, recorded this after our 6-5 loss to Wenatchee Valley in the final of the NWAACC Championship game and has shared this on You-tube. The Bellevue team came to our final of the NWAACC Championship against Wenatchee Valley dressed in our black jerseys with ribbons, banners and bows and cheered loudly for us throughout the game. Their support provided inspiration and encouragement to our team. The whole Bellevue team, including alumni, came on the field after the game and consoled our team and before leaving, we had a group cheer – check it out. When we entered the NWAACC three years ago we have tried to emulate the Bellevue program – and for a reason! What a class act!
I will always be a fan of BELLEVUE softball! Many thanks to Leah Francis and her girls!
Gord
Links: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDRhGNYUkhs&feature=em-share_video_user
And for the story and photo (scroll to bottom of page) http://nwaacc.org/softball/index.php?id=8044&cat=0
PROUD TO BE A BULLDOG!
Last Updated January 27, 2014
