Thing is, so did the Elite -- and they did most of their damage with opportunistic high-scoring innings that led to a pair of victories at Optimist Park, with Estevan winning 10-9 in the opener before following with a 7-6 victory in the rematch.
Estevan 10, Ice 9
Riding a solid showing in the circle from Peyton Mengel and Marisa Montgomery, the Ice roared out to a 5-1 lead through three innings and led 8-3 heading into the final frame.
But a late pitching change made all the difference for the Elite, and Estevan would take advantage of a handful of walks, an error and a couple of timely base hits to pour seven runs across the plate to take a 9-8 lead.
Moose Jaw managed to get the lead-off run home in the bottom of the seventh and the tying run to third but would get no closer.
Mengel would finish the game with a double, triple and two runs scored, while Zoey Chesney and Marisa Montgomery also had two runs each.
Mengel allowed a single hit and struck out three through two innings, while Montgomery allowed a single run and also struck out three over two.
Estevan 7, Ice 6
It was Estevan’s turn to get off to a fast start in the second contest, as five of their first six batters reached and would come around to score for a 5-2 lead.
The Ice slowly chipped away, though, with single runs in the third and fourth to pull within one. Mengel, Kenzie Martel and Jakson McAuley then hit three-straight one-out singles in the fifth, plating a pair of runs and taking a 6-5 lead.
The Elite would strike in the final inning once again, though, with their first two hitters reaching and coming around to score to officially earn the 7-6 win. The two teams played out the inning, and Estevan would finish up with nine runs.
