The Swift Current U15 Sonic softball team won silver at Saskatchewan Softball U15B Provincial Championships in Warman this past weekend. The Sonic finished the tournament with a 5-1 record to conclude the season with a 23-5-1 overall record.
The first game of the tournament saw the Sonic beat the Prince Albert Aces 14-10. Bree Pavely went three-for-five at the plate with six runs batted in, two runs scored, and a home run. Mackenzie Smith also went three-for-five at the plate and had three RBIs. Pavely went four innings, giving up four runs and striking out five to get the win on the mound. Smith pitched three innings in relief, giving up six runs and striking out five.
In their second game, the Sonic faced off against the Regina Lazers-Black and cruised to a 10-0 win. Taylor Schury went two-for-three, knocking in three runs. Pavely, Bailey Fox, Lyla Thiessen, Surrey Lamotte and Brynn Haubrich all had two hits. Pavely pitched all four innings, giving up two hits, walked two batters, and struck out five.
The final round-robin game was a match-up against the Yorkton Crush with the winning team advancing to the playoff round. Smith led the offense to a 12-0 win with four RBIs. Anaiah Stechyshyn, Fox, and Serena Kochan all contributed to the offense with two hits. Schury hit a two-run home run.
Pavely and Smith pitched two innings apiece, both walking one batter and each finished with three strikeouts.
The Sonic had a tough quarter-final opponent in the host Twin City Angels-Bombers. The Sonic scored three runs in the fifth inning and add one in the sixth inning for a 7-4 come-from-behind victory.
Stechyshyn, Smith, and Kochan each had two hits in the win. Smith would start the game, throwing four innings, giving up four runs, walking eight and striking out nine. Pavely would come in and pitch three scoreless innings, walking two and striking out six while earning her fourth win on the mound.
In their second game in the playoff round on Sunday the Sonic would face a fresh Biggar Nationals team who had a bye into the semi-final. The semi-final had great pitching and strong defensive play by both teams through four innings as the game was scoreless after four innings. The Sonic offense came alive scoring three runs in the fifth, two in the sixth, and two in the seventh to come out on top by a score of 7-1.
Thiessen and Shury broke the game open with home runs for the Sonic.
Smith was very solid, pitching 5.2 innings, giving up five hits, one run, walking two, and striking out seven. Pavely pitched 1.1 innings without surrendering a hit or a run.
The final was a rematch of last year’s U15B provincial championship game against the Macklin Lakers. A back and forth game saw the Lakers hold a 4-2 lead after three innings. The Sonic would claw their way back to get the game to 4-4, but the Lakers scored two in the bottom of the sixth. The Lakers would shut down the Sonic in the top of the seventh to hold on for the 6-4 victory.
Fox had three hits in the championship game, while Pavely and Thiessen each contributed with two hits. Pavely pitched three innings, giving up four runs and striking out five. Smith came in for the final three innings, giving up two runs and also striking out five.
