Kadence Martin, 12, shows off her gold medal after returning from the Western Canada Baseball Championships.

(ASHLEY LEGASSIC - REPORTER / iNFOnews.ca)

KAMLOOPS - Kadence Martin spent a lot of her time growing up watching her brother play baseball, and it wasn't long until she told her mom she wanted to join.

The 12-year-old Kamloops girl has just returned home from the Western Canada Girls Baseball Championships where she was the youngest player on the female 14-and-under baseball team that represented our province. The tournament was held in Spruce Grove, Alta. last weekend, and Team B.C. brought home a gold medal.

Martin's mother, Melissa Lesage, got the call that Martin had made the team just a few weeks ago.

"It was really exciting, I cried, she cried, we cried together," Lesage says.

This tournament was different for Martin. During her regular season, she's the only girl on her baseball team and this time she played with girls up to two years older than her.

Martin was excited for the opportunity, and after learning she made the team, she had just two weeks of practice before heading off to Spruce Grove for the championships.

It was an easy choice for her when it came to trying out.

"It's baseball, and I wanted to play with girls," Martin says. "My coach knew I was good, that's why he picked me."

Image Credit: SUBMITTED/Melissa Lesage

Martin knows she's a talented ball player, and usually pitches during the regular season. It's her skills and confidence that got her a spot on the provincial team.

She says the best part of pitching for her is "striking everyone out".

Lesage points out her daughter also likes to prove people wrong when they see her standing on the mound.

"She gets to show up a lot of the boys," she says. "They think she can't do it because she's a girl."

Team B.C. had an impeccable record during the tournament, with every game ending in a mercy except for one. The mercy rule comes into play when a team is either up by 15 runs after four innings, or 10 runs after five.

The team went undefeated during the tournament leading up to the gold medal game last Sunday, Aug. 19, and ended up beating Manitoba 15 runs to six to take first place.

Martin wasn't nervous heading into the gold medal game, adding that her headspace beforehand was that it was "just another game", but she was thrilled when her team won and she was the first to receive a medal.

"It felt pretty great."

As a rookie, Martin didn't get as much playing time as she's used to and played outfield for the majority of the tournament, but she's excited to try out again next year and make an even bigger impression. She believes talented female ball players should try and play with the boys if they want to.

"So then they can do the same as I can, and beat them," Martin says.

Kadence Martin is given her gold medal after playing with Team B.C. at the Western Canada Baseball Championships.

Image Credit: SUBMITTED/Melissa Lesage

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