Twelve-year-old Arawhui Crawford couldn't have asked for a better starting line-up debut day for the Hawke's Bay under-17 girls softball side yesterday.
The daughter of former New Zealand Maori and Magpies rugby prop Orcades Crawford and former Hawke's Bay hockey representative Kerri Thompson, Crawford smashed a double in the Bay's 13-1 four innings win against Otago on day two of their national tournament in Palmerston North.
The right outfielder made her starting debut on a day when the side scored 31 runs and conceded just one in three games played. Before the Otago match the Angela Stubbs-coached Bay team thrashed Upper South Island 11-0 in four innings and in their final outing of the day beat Waikato 7-0.
"These results mean we could qualify for Sunday's semifinals without winning a game tomorrow but we would like to win one of them," said Stubbs referring to today's assignments - Wellington and Hutt Valley.
In-form pitcher Courtney Gettins struck out 10 of the 15 Upper South Island batters she faced. Third base player Brooke Eden smashed an automatic double in this win.
Hawke's Bay catcher against Otago, Quayla Tatana-Paul, matched Eden's feat. Gettins' deputy Teegan Irving struck out five of the 20 Otago batters she faced.
Against Waikato, Gettins struck out 20 of the 23 batters she faced and it was first base player Samantha Cooper who produced the Bay's third automatic of the day.
Hawke's Bay's under-17 boys bowed out of semifinal contention at their North Harbour-hosted nationals yesterday with losses to Waikato and Auckland Development.
Softball: Young Crawford in smashing form
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