The U17, U19 and U15 Bandits softball teams are all in action around the province this weekend for provincials. (Facebook/Battlefords Minor Softball)
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Bandits softball teams hit the ground running at provincials

Jul 8, 2022 | 6:35 PM

It’s a big weekend for the Battlefords Bandits softball program, as each of the U15, U17 and U19 teams are in action for provincials.

The U19s are in Unity, while the U17s are in Regina and the U15s are in Saskatoon.

Head coach of the U17 team, Darren Russell said the girls wasted no time showing a flare for the dramatics, falling behind 7-1 in the seventh inning of their opening game Friday, only to rally back with seven unanswered runs in the final inning to win the game 8-7.

“I always say our team lives and dies with our bats and I bet I was the only one that still believed in them when we were down 7-1 in the seventh inning, but the girls did it,” Russell said with a laugh. “It was a bit of a nail-biter at the end there, but they stuck with it and pulled it off.”

They are one of 10 teams competing in Regina, split into two pools of five. They will play four round-robin games with a chance to advance to the playoff rounds, Sunday.

The U15s also pulled off a comeback effort in their opening game, rallying from an early 2-0 deficit to defeat the defending provincial champion, Rosetown Angels, 4-2.

Assistant coach of the U15s, Kevin Russell said the team showed strong resiliency to battle back.

“We had great pitching by both our main pitchers and we chipped away to tie it up early in the third inning, then in the seventh got a big base hit for a run to put us up 4-2, for a big win,” Russell said.

With 24 teams from across Saskatchewan at the Saskatoon tournament, the U15s will play at least two more round-robin games prior to the playoff rounds.

The U19 Bandits are one of two teams to compete at their tournament in Unity and will play a best-of-five versus the host Unity Panthers to determine a champion. Their first game will be played Saturday at 11 a.m.

The Bandits’ full schedule with live scoring updates can be found on the Softball Saskatchewan website. The U15s are available here, the U17s here, and the U19s here.

Martin.Martinson@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @MartyMartyPxP1

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