The Moose Jaw Ice are two wins away from a Softball Canada U17 AA national championship.
After putting together a 3-2 record in the round robin, the Ice found out late Friday that the tiebreaker had gone their way and they’d advanced to the championship round. They made the most of that turn of events, taking a 7-6 win over Team Quebec to advance to the tournament semifinal against the Surrey Storm later Saturday night.
After splitting their first two round-robin games, the Ice took a 7-0 win over the Calgary Kaizen Black and 8-7 win over the Cloverdale, B.C. Fury before losing their final preliminary game 6-4 to Ontario’s Whitby Eagles Elite.
Moose Jaw 7, Calgary Kaisen 0
Ice pick-up Hope McLeod was outstanding in the circle for Moose Jaw, allowing only four hits, no walks and striking out seven in taking the five-inning mercy-rule win.
The Ice gave her all the offence she’d need in the first inning, putting up a pair of runs and adding two more in third before a three-run fifth brought things to an early end.
Ashley Breitkreuz went 2-for-3 with two doubles, a run and two runs batted in, while Peyton Mengel also had a double and knocked in a pair. Macy Litzenberger and Rhyan Amundson had two hits apiece.
Moose Jaw 8, Cloverdale 7
Moose Jaw looked to have things in hand early thanks to a six-run second inning, but a five-run Cloveradle seventh would send a 7-2 game into an extra inning.
There, Callie Klemenz would knock home Ashley Maczuga to give the Ice the lead, and a double play in the bottom of the inning would finish things off.
Klemenz finished the game 2-for-4 with a run and two RBI, while Cadence Colburn had a three-run triple in the second inning as her lone hit. Macy Litzenberger had a two-run double the same inning and was 2-for-4, Haily Molde was 2-for-4 with a run and Aubrey Clarke had a pair of runs.
Ice ace Ava Unser allowed seven runs on 11 hits and six walks while striking out four over six inning, McLeod tossed the final two and gave up a single hit.
Whitby 6, Moose Jaw 4
A three-run sixth inning for Whitby was the difference in the round robin finale for both teams.
Moose Jaw took a 3-1 lead out of the first, but the Eagles tied the game in the fourth, and after the Ice retook the lead in the sixth, put together their rally to finish things off.
Colborn was 2-for-3 with a run scored and RBI, while Maczuga went 2-for-4 and scored a pair of runs.
McLeod got the start and went four innings, giving up three runs on three hits and striking out three. Unser finished things off, allowing three runs on two hits over the final two innings and striking out four.
Moose Jaw 7, Quebec 6
The Ice trailed early, but overcame a 5-3 deficit with three runs in the fifth and another in the sixth before holding on for the one-run win.
Amundson led the way at the plate this time, going 3-for-3 with two doubles and two RBI. Breitkreuz was 3-for-4 with two runs and two RBI, Clarke crossed the plate twice.
Unser had another solid start, allowing five runs, two earned on five hits in five innings and striking out seven. McLeod gave up a single run on two hits over the final two innings.
