STONEWALL, MAN. - The South East Sun Devils U15 softball team put forth a strong effort at the Western Canadian championships that were held in Stonewall, Man., from Aug. 4-7.
The Sun Devils – comprised of players from Estevan, Alameda, Alida, Carnduff, Carievale, Carlyle, Stoughton and Weyburn – went 0-6 at westerns, but that didn’t diminish the pride that coach Devin Aspinall felt for the team.
“They played their absolute best,” he said. “They put it all out there and they really did play at a high level. We just found some really stiff competition. I can’t complain with how they played. They really played hard and did everything we’ve asked of them to do all year.”
The Sun Devils started off with an 8-1 defeat against Manitoba’s Central Energy team, then fell 10-0 to Alberta’s Beaumont Blitz U16 team, 11-7 to B.C.’s Richmond Islanders, 7-0 to the Outlaws 07 15U of Abbotsford, B.C., 13-6 to the host Interlake Phillies, and 15-2 to the CAFA Calgary Adrenaline 15U Black.
The loss to Richmond was likely their best game of the tournament, Aspinall said. They came out strong and had the lead for most of the game, only to have one bad inning dash their chances of victory.
And despite the score in the final game against Calgary, Aspinall pointed out it was close for the first three innings.
“Calgary was definitely the favourite going into the weekend … and they were worried. It was the third inning and it was 4-2 for them, and we were hitting the ball and moving around the bases a little bit. It was just a fun game. The crowd was going crazy. The girls were screaming back and forth from dugout to dugout, trying to pump up their team.”
Had the Sun Devils won the game, they might have knocked Calgary out of the tournament.
The Sun Devils played well defensively during the six games and some players hit the ball well, he said. They added a pitcher Abbey Arntsen and a catcher Riley Gramlich, both from Swift current, and they added a lot to the existing talented players on the team.
“They just fit in perfectly. Our girls welcomed them with open arms, and our girls played really well, too, but just having picked up players definitely made us a little bit deeper.”
Aspinall noted that any of the squads at westerns could have been the best team in Western Canada. Saskatchewan sent their top two teams from the BW level – which is between the A and B levels – while other provinces sent their third and fourth places teams from the A level.
Aspinall believes the experience will make a big difference for the Sun Devils.
“The girls got to see it and participate in it, and nobody got down and out losing every game. They all learned from it, and as coaches, you see where the next level is, and you know you’re close, but you’re not close enough, and you can see where you need to get to,” said Aspinall.
“We’ve seen the best of the best, and if you want to get there, there’s certain things that we definitely need to do a little bit different.”
Aspinall also praised the organizers of the tournament. It was a great atmosphere with the opening ceremonies and a banquet for all of the players.
“We were proud to represent Saskatchewan, and hopefully our girls are holding their heads high.”
