The Southside Slammers Bantam AA girls softball team, in their inaugural year have gone a lot of places.
And oh, the places they'll go later this year. The Slammers placed fourth in provincials earlier this month at the U16 A Girls Championship in Regina. But because two of the teams that placed above them can't go to nationals, the Slammers will help represent Saskatchewan Aug. 9-13 in Delta, B.C.
“We went 3-1 in the round robin, which qualified us for top four in the playoffs, in the semifinal,” said Slammers head coach Trent Walter. “We lost that (semifinal) and that ended the run of provincials. We ended up fourth at provincials but the two teams we lost to were in the final.”
With a field of 11 teams at provincials, the Slammers did well to finish as high as they did. Getting to the final day was always something they'd wanted from their experience at provincials.
“That was our goal, to try to give us a chance in the playoffs,” Walter said. “There's six really good teams in the province, so to finish in the top four was a good achievement for us. Naturally you always want more... but nonetheless it was a really good year.”
The team had recent tournament success also. The team won a tournament in Melfort the week before.
“A lot of the top teams in the province were there,” Walter said. “There were a lot of tight low scoring games that the girls were able to come out on top. The final game went to nine innings and the girls won 2-1. It was a real testament to the girls' defence, and the pitching was exceptional. It was a really tight, low scoring game which is really special. The semifinal was 4-3 and we won that game in the seventh inning.”
A tournament for softball or baseball, with pitch counts being closely monitored and injuries potentially having a dangerous impact on a team's survival, can really let teams know exactly how deep they are. And the Slammers are deep, especially on the mound.
“We had a couple of girls that have been throwing well for us throughout the season and a couple of girls that dabble in and out when we can get them in,” he said.
Walter felt the team came together defensively to beat some of the top teams in the province that weekend.
Earlier this month, the Slammers finished second in the Regina Softball League, losing the league final.
This weekend the team will host a Brandon team in a doubleheader at Pleasantdale Field – first game at noon – and travel to Brandon the following Sundayfor another pair of games. They're reaching out for other games as well.
