As each team enters the final day of round-robin play at the Western Canadian U14 Softball Championships, the Battleford Bandits and Unity Panthers are in control of their own destiny.
With just one round-robin game left for each team in the girls’ division, both sides have an opportunity to keep their seasons going and make it into the playoff round at Battleford Flats Park.
Heading into a 1 p.m. contest Sunday against the Westman Magic of Brandon, Man., the Bandits are tied for fifth place with a 2-3 record with the Magic and the Manitoba Thunder of Winnipeg.
A win in that game would put them in the mix for a tiebreaker spot, depending on what happens in the other matches during the day.
“If we can get another victory to stay in the mix that would be great,” Bandits coach Regan Lavallee said.
“The entire team has done so well here this weekend, especially with being the host team. Anything else after the round-robin would be an awesome feeling for everyone involved with this.”
The Bandits started off the tournament strong with a pair of narrow victories, as they defeated the Sherwood Park Storm of Alberta 8-7 and the Thunder 11-10.
Following a 6-4 setback to the South Delta Invaders of British Columbia Friday night, the Bandits suffered a pair of losses Saturday as they fell 12-5 to the Lloydminster Liners of Alberta and 6-0 to the Surrey Storm of British Columbia.
“Both teams had excellent pitching, which presented us with some challenges,” Lavallee said.
“We had runners on base in both games and had a number of opportunities to score, but we were just unable to cash them in.”
The Panthers, who have had several meetings with the Bandits this year, have an opportunity to knock out their provincial rivals and both Manitoba teams out of the playoff mix Sunday morning.
They currently sit fourth in the standings with a 3-2 record and could clinch a berth into the playoffs if they can beat the 4-1 Liners at 9 a.m.
“We’re fairly happy with how we’ve preformed so far,” Panthers coach Doug Rutley said. “If we can pull one more win off in the morning, we will be in pretty good shape.”
Following an 8-1 defeat to the Surrey Storm in their tournament opener, the Panthers rattled off three straight wins over the Sherwood Park Storm (4-1), the Magic (8-7) and the Invaders (10-3) before suffering a 9-1 setback to the Thunder.
“We’ve battling really well and our defence has been excellent as we’ve had very few errors,” Rutley said. “That’s been the key to our success all season.
This group of girls has been excellent to coach and it’s been a lot of fun to face these great teams from the other provinces.”
Following Saturday’s games, the Surrey Storm lead the way with a 4-0 record while the Alameda Super Novas are tied with the Liners at 4-1.
Rounding out the standings are the 1-4 Invaders and the 0-5 Sherwood Park Storm.
Three other games will take place Sunday in the girls’ division besides the contests involving the Bandits and Panthers.
The Surrey Storm will face the Thunder at 9 a.m., the Invaders will battle the Sherwood Park Storm at 11 a.m. and the Super Novas will go up against the Surrey Storm at 1 p.m.
Meanwhile, the boys’ division will also determine their four playoff teams Sunday with their final three round-round games.
Following Saturday’s set of contests, the Barriere Bruins from British Columbia lead the way with a 4-0 record, while the Shellbrook Rangers and the Irma Tigers of Alberta are tied for second place with 3-1 marks.
The battle for the final playoff spot remains close, as the Cross Lake Wolves of Manitoba and the Warman Panthers both sit in fourth spot with 1-3 records and the Delisle Diamond Dogs remain alive with an 0-4 mark.
That battle will become a lot clearer following a pair of 9:30 a.m. contests, as the Wolves will face the Diamond Dogs and the Panthers take on the unbeaten Bruins.
The boys’ division round-robin schedule will conclude at 11:30 a.m. when the Rangers face the Tigers.
Any tiebreaker games will be held at 3 p.m. in both divisions, with the playoff round beginning at 6 p.m.
The format for the playoffs is similar to what curling fans might see at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts or Tim Hortons Brier, as the top two teams in the round-robin will face off to earn a spot in Monday’s final.
The loser of that game will take on the winner of the third place vs. fourth place team contest in the semifinal at 10 a.m. Monday for the other berth in the final.
The championship games are slated to get underway at 1 p.m. Monday.
