Pictured clockwise from top: The U19, U15 and U17 Bandits softball teams at provincials over the weekend. (Submitted photos/Battlefords Minor Softball)

By Martin Martinson

Home Run Weekend

Battlefords Bandits take pair of medals at provincials

Jul 11, 2022 | 1:03 PM

The Battlefords Bandits softball program took home a pair of medals at provincials over the weekend, with three teams in action across the province.

The U19s took home a provincial silver medal in Unity, while the U15s won bronze in Saskatoon, and the U17s finished fourth in Regina.

The U19 team played the host Unity Panthers in a best-of-five series to determine the provincial championship, winning their first game 8-1, before Unity responded with three straight of their own, to see the Bandits finish with silver on the weekend.

The U19 Bandits with their provincial silver medals. (Submitted photo/Regan Lavallee)

Coach with the U19s, Regan Lavallee said she and the coaching staff were nothing but proud of the way the team battled throughout the weekend, overcoming injury and adversity to give it their best to the end.

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“We battled hard and that’s the thing about our team is we never give up,” Lavallee said. “We just kept playing hard and the girls kept their heads up and hit the ball hard all weekend, so we were super proud of how they played, and they left it all on the field.”

The U19s were a mixture of a couple of teams from the surrounding area this year, including Turtleford.

The U15 Bandits opened their tournament with a strong come-from-behind win over the defending provincial champions from Rosetown 4-2, followed by a 14-1 victory over Regina, and a 16-3 win over Team United Treaty 4 (from the Carlyle area), to finish first in their pool at the end of round-robin play.

The U15 Battlefords Bandits pictured here with their bronze medals. (Submitted photo/Kevin Russell)

In the playoff rounds, the team then topped Gravelbourg 12-3, to earn their spot in the semi-finals. There the Bandits fell 11-1 to a strong Swift Current team to put them in the bronze medal game, where they showed good resolve, defeating Maidstone 10-7 to clinch the bronze.

Assistant coach with the U15s, Kevin Russell said it was nice to see the team stick with it and come away with a medal, to achieve a goal from the outset of the season.

“At the beginning of the year the coaching staff got together with the kids and we set a goal to medal at provincials this year and the girls really bound together to achieve that goal,” Russell said. “After we beat that really good Rosetown team in our opening game the vibe was up, and the players knew they could do it and compete.”

The U17 Battlefords Bandits pictured here at provincials. (Submitted photos/Battlefords Minor Softball)

The U17 girls, who took fourth in Regina, also won their opening game against West Central in a comeback effort, 9-8. After falling 12-2 to Weyburn in their second game, the team bounced back with pair of victories, 11-4 over White Butte and 17-0 over Tisdale, to finish round-robin play strong at, 3-1.

In the championship round, the Bandits then fell 5-4 to Edam in a tight game to the finish, to place fourth overall at the tournament.

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Martin.Martinson@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @MartyMartyPxP1