The U13 Bandits with their provincial silver medals. (Submitted photo/Ryan Shepherd)

By Martin Martinson

Softball standouts

U13 Bandits take home silver at provincials

Jul 18, 2022 | 1:00 PM

The Battlefords Bandits U13 softball team beat the heat over the weekend, to bring home a silver medal at provincials in Regina.

Despite humid conditions, with temperatures reaching 36 degrees Celsius Sunday during the championship rounds, the team won six of their seven games total on the weekend, to finish second of the 37 teams competing at U13 ‘B’ provincials.

The Bandits opened their weekend with a bang, topping the Regina Raiders 20-5, and Saskatoon Raiders 14-7, to start the tournament. The team then edged Swift Current 10-8 in a back and forth battle, and the White Bute Storm 15-9, to head into the playoff rounds as the top seed in their pool, with a perfect 4-0 record through round-robin play.

In the championship rounds, the Bandits continued their roll with an 11-3 win over the Weyburn Wild in the quarterfinals, and a 16-15 win over the Yorkton Crush in the semis, to advance to the gold medal game against the Melville Mils.

Trailing by a single run heading into the final inning, the Bandits’ biggest play at the plate this season came from first baseman, Camryn Humenny.

PA Police

Charges dismissed against PA Police officer

18m ago

summer stories

Saskatchewan's own Nessie? The tale of the Turtle Lake Monster

40m ago

TIME TRAVEL, SORT OF

WATCH: Engines of the past roll through North Battleford

18h ago

After Elan Kramer and Mikayla Shepherd got on base for the team, Humenny hit a bomb to right field, allowing the pair of runners to score and walk off the girls into the championship game.

And while Melville ultimately took the final game by a 16-7 score, head coach of the Bandits, Ryan Shepherd said he couldn’t have been more proud of the group for what they were able to accomplish.

“The girls played excellent all weekend, and especially with the weather conditions they had there,” Shepherd said. “They fought really hard and we’d hoped for the championship game but I don’t know if anyone [else] thought we’d make it there, so it worked out well, and it’s a great group of kids who really got along well.”

Aurora Hulit-Wright led the way for the Bandits on the mound, pitching 18 of 39 innings on the weekend, while Jersey Gagnon also threw for nine innings for the team, as the pair pitched the entirety of the championship rounds on the road to the silver.

Shepherd said the team’s success would also not have been possible without the support of the parents and coaches who took the time to help out with the team this year.

“I have to give a big thank you to the coaching staff we had with Mike Gerein and Christa Humenny and Darren Russell,” Shepherd said. “With the heat, it was sure nice to have a good group of people to work with there and I think it really contributed to how the girls did.”

—

Martin.Martinson@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @MartyMartyPxP1