It is not every day that a Nova Scotia team bows out of the softball championships at all, leave alone without so much of a fight. Thus, it will remain on many of the game enthusiasts’ minds for a long time that in August 2018, the Dodge Eagles were able to ease past the Transfer Broadhorns, to book themselves a place in the season playoffs.
The Eagles were pretty much underdogs heading into the match, owing to both their build-up form and the geographical odds of the competition. They were, however, able to overcome all that and emerge 6-2 winners with a game to spare. That afforded them a little luxury ahead of a meeting with an equally stubborn East-Hants Shooters.
Eagles could then dare to dream for a place in the post-season competition that brings together the best eight teams of the ten that have played at the championships.
The win may have appeared like just another item on the news to a casual observer, but a keen follower of Canada’s softball competitions will tell you it is not. Under it lay a big statement of the Eagle’s growth and the shift in the balance of softball power within the country.
It is an indication that the game is no longer an automatic reserve for Nova Scotia. Other regions also want a piece of the pie and they are not shy to ask and fight for it.
It may also be an indicator of a rise in popularity of an already popular game in regions that have been considered to have a lukewarm enthusiasm. But, most importantly, it is an indication of Softball Canada’s success in attempts to spread softablling facilities all over the country in the pursuit of balance.
The win, many can confidently say, indicates an even brighter future for the game of softball in Canada.