The U15B Battlefords Bandits won gold at the Sharon Knott Tournament in Regina this past weekend (Battlefords Minor Softball Association Inc./Facebook).

By Austin Mattes

Sharon Knott Tournament

U15B Bandits bring home gold after perfect weekend in Regina

May 26, 2025 | 4:53 PM

The U15B Battlefords Bandits softball team delivered a flawless performance this past weekend, going undefeated to win the Sharon Knott Tournament in Regina.

With a perfect 5-0 record, the Bandits capped off their run with a victory over the Melfort Spirit in a hard-fought championship game Sunday evening.

Going into the tournament, Bandits head coach Ryan Shepherd said he was confident in the team.

“We know we have a pretty strong team, we have some young kids, but they’re great athletes. They support each other, and our pitching staff has good experience and a strong background. We thought we’d do well, we didn’t know if we’d win, but we wanted to be playing deep into Sunday,” he said.

The Bandits opened the tournament with a dominant 11-0 win over the Lumsden Cubs on Friday, setting the tone for the rest of the weekend. Then on Saturday, they secured the top spot in their pool with a 14-7 win over the Saskatoon Phantoms, advancing them to the quarterfinals.

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The Bandits warming up before one of their games (Submitted Photo/Ryan Shepherd).

Sunday morning’s quarterfinal against the White Butte Storm Twisters proved to be a battle, but the Bandits held on for an 8-6 win. Andie Gerein got the Bandits on the board in the first inning with a single, and a double by Sloane Lehman in the second helped extend the lead to 3-0. Battlefords led 5-1 by the end of the third, but the Storm Twisters pushed back with five runs in the final two innings. Three key runs in the fifth sealed victory for the Bandits.

Ryker Slabaida started on the mound for the Bandits, striking out five in four innings while only allowing two runs. Layla Russell closed the game in relief. Lehman led the offense with two RBIs, while Sidney Oborowsky collected two hits.

In the semifinal against the Saskatoon Hustler Warhawks, the Bandits had their toughtest matchup so far. After falling behind 3-0 by the third inning, the offense came alive in the bottom of the fourth. Hannah Shepherd singled, followed by a clutch two-run homer from Gerein, giving the Bandits a 4-3 lead. They would go on to score three more and shut out the Warhawks the rest of the way for a 7-3 win.

Jersey Gagnon threw four innings, allowing three runs on four hits, while Russell delivered three shutout innings in relief, striking out seven. Offensively, Gerein drove in two runs, and Amelia Bernier, Ryker Slabaida, and Gerein each had two hits.

Then it all came down to the final against the Spirit, one of the province’s top U15B teams. Battlefords struck first with an RBI single from Shepherd in the first inning, but Spirit tied it 1-1 in the bottom half. After three scoreless innings, Danika Salzl grounded out to score two runs in the fifth, giving the Bandits a 3-1 edge.

The Spirit cut the lead to 3-2 in the sixth, but Battlefords broke it open with a three-run rally in the top of the seventh. However, the Spirit responded with a two-run inside-the-park homer, but the Bandits held on for a 6-4 win to claim the gold.

Russell started and pitched six solid innings, allowing four runs while striking out eight. Gagnon closed out the game in relief. At the plate, Gagnon, Slabaida, Shepherd, Salzl, Lehman, and Gerein each had a hit. Four different players drove in a run, and the team walked eight times and stole seven bases.

The Bandits receiving their gold medals after the 6-4 win over the Spirit (Submitted Photo/Ryan Shepherd).

Following the win, Shepherd gave credit to the team as well as the coaching staff for their success.

“We had a stellar performance from our pitching staff, and our hitting was spectacular, the whole team really pulled together. It’s a fun team to coach, and we’ve got a good coaching staff that’s really engaged. All around, it was a great weekend, and we’re excited to build on this for the rest of the season,” Shepherd said.

The Bandits U15B head to Saskatoon this weekend for their next tournament.

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Austin.mattes@pattisonmedia.com

On X: @AustinMattes