All three Moose Jaw Ice teams are in the playoff hunt heading into the final day of the Moose Jaw and District Minor Girls Fastball AA tournament.
Both the U13 and U17 Ice hold down 2-1 records through their respective round robins and are all but assured of a spot in the playoffs Sunday afternoon, while the U15 Ice are 1-1 heading into their final preliminary round game on Saturday evening.
The defending provincial champion U17 Ice lost their opening game Friday night but came out gangbusters Saturday, rolling to a 13-1 win over the Balgonie Storm before taking a 15-0 victory over the Lumsden Cubs.
The U15 Ice found themselves in another one-run game after winning their opener, but came up short this time around with a 4-3 loss to the Melfort Spirit.
The U13 Ice rebounded from their loss Friday with a 13-4 win over the Regina Royals Rush before staging a final-inning comeback to take a 4-3 win over Meadow Lake in their second game Saturday.
U17 Ice 13, Storm 1
Back-to-back six-run innings in the third and fourth did all the damage that needed to be done, and the Ice had their four-inning mercy-rule win.
Ashley Breitkreuz was 3-for-4 with a pair of runs scored and four runs batted in to lead Moose Jaw, while Abby Maczuga and Mallory Tendler each crossed the plate three times.
Ava Unser picked up the win, scattering four hits over the four innings.
U17 Ice 15 Lumsden 0
Six runs in the first, three in the second and six in the third, and that was all she wrote.
Haily Molde, Peyton Mengel and Callie Klemenz had perfect games at the plate, with Molde going 3-for-3 with three runs scored, while Mengel was 2-for-2 with two runs and four RBI and Klemenz 2-for-2 with two runs and two RBI.
Mengel allowed a hit in an inning of work, Unser tossed the final two frames and struck out the side in each.
The U17 Ice wrap up their round robin against the Regina Saints at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, followed by the top two round robin teams playing for gold.
Melfort 4, U15 Ice 3
Trailing 3-1 after the first inning, the Ice scored a pair in the third to tie things up, only to have Melfort score one in the bottom of the sixth to take the win.
Blake Maltais was 2-for-3 with two runs scored, while Tara Bell was also 2-for-3 and scored a run.
Avery Garthus allowed three runs, none earned, on six hits in 4 ⅔ innings of work while striking out five. Kensington Demassi pitched the final 1 ⅓ innings.
The U15 Ice face the Regina Royals at 8:30 p.m. Saturday and with a win there are guaranteed a playoff spot beginning at 2:15 p.m. Sunday.
U13 Ice 13, Royals Rush 4
Things were close through the first two innings as the teams were tied 3-3, but a five-run third blew things open and five more runs in the fourth finished things off.
Riley Ziffle, Callie Bell, Emmy Blanchard and Ella Bouffard each scored two runs in the commanding win.
U13 Ice 4, Meadow Lake 3
Meadow Lake took a 3-1 lead out of the fourth inning, but Jada Borgerson crossed the plate to get her team within one and set up the final-inning dramatics.
There, Ziffle drew a lead-off walk and would come around to score before Aspen Olafson finished things off, crossing the plate with the game-winning run. Olafson also scored Moose Jaw’s opening run in the first.
Ziffle and Chloe Strueby each saw action on the mound.
The U13 Ice finish their round robin against the Regina Lazers at 8 a.m. Sunday, with the playoffs beginning at 1 p.m.
