The U11 Westlock Wild softball girls team triumphed in the provincial softball championships in Grande Prairie over the weekend of July 4-6.
“It was pretty cool. It was definitely a team effort. We needed all 13 of our players to have success there,” said team coach Bonnie Provencal.
The tournament featured 16 teams from throughout Alberta. The Wild won their first round pool round robin of three games to advance to the semi-finals. The Wild’s matchup against the Irma Tigers was their hardest-fought matchup of the weekend. Extra innings were required but the Wild eventually triumphed over the Tigers 13-12. Zoey Mackenzie hit a two-point home run in the top of the eighth inning, which helped push the Wild over the edge.
The Wild defeated the MCHA (Metiskow, Czar, Hughenden and Amisk) Lakers 12-5 in the final. The Wild took a strong lead, scoring all 12 runs in the first five innings. Paisley Visser led the Wild with four runs at bat and two hits with Mackenzie and Tegan Beattie also having two hits each. The Wild had 11 total hits in the final game and accumulated 26 stolen bases.
“At U11, you'll bat your entire lineup even if you have only nine kids that can play on the field. I think what was really awesome to see is that we had a lot of younger first-year U11 players that came through and got really big hits for us at critical times,” said Provencal.
Provencal also noted the strength of the Wild’s pitchers, Paisley Visser and Olivia Beattie, who were instrumental in their triumph.
The softball girls featured in provincials last year as well and won bronze, having finished second in their pool.
“To come back and win the whole thing was pretty incredible just based on a couple years of growing the program,” said Provencal.
The Westlock Minor Ball Association has seen tremendous growth over the past few years, with around 270 players in total playing for Westlock Wild teams this year, ranging from U5 baseball to U17 softball teams.
“It’s been amazing to see Westlock Minor Ball continue to grow – more kids, more teams, more community spirit. That momentum is something we’re excited to carry forward into future seasons,” said Westlock Minor Ball president Chris Brand on a post on the association’s website.
Several other Wild teams were in action that weekend. These included the U11 baseball team, who won both their tiering games in Edmonton, the U13 baseball team in Grande Prairie and the U15 softball team, who won a provincial qualifier in Athabasca and will be headed to provincial championships next weekend.
