If folks ever wondered how fastball players from Moose Jaw would match up with their counterparts from the United States, the answer is ‘pretty darn well’.
One just has to look at how three members of the Moose Jaw Ice performed at the USA Softball 12U B Northern Nationals this past week in Fargo, N.D.
Playing with the Minot Storm Blue, the Ice would play key roles in in their team’s performance as the Storm went all the way to the ‘A’ side final in the 20-team tournament before eventually settling for a third-place finish.
The Ice put together a 2-1 record in the round robin and won their opening playoff game 14-5 over Grantburg Barnett to advance to the quarter-final of the winners bracket.
There, they’d run into unbeaten Pool B winner Hillsboro and end up in one of their closest games of the tournament before going on to a 4-3 win.
The Storm had realized in their opening game that Strueby -- one of the standout pitchers for the Ice in their provincial AA winning campaign -- had the potential to do big things in the event, and from that point on, the ball was essentially hers.
And to say things turned out well on the way to the A final would be an understatement, with the win over Hillsboro an example.
Strueby would go the distance, allowing three runs on five hits and three walks while striking out 15 of the 28 batters she faced and throwing 116 pitches.
The Storm rewarded her by overcoming a 2-1 deficit with three runs in the sixth inning and then holding on in the seventh for the win.
Olafson and Ansell had a rare hitless game in the tournament, while Strueby was 1-for-2 with a run scored and a walk.
That sent Minot into the winners bracket semifinal, where they’d roll to a 12-2 over previously undefeated Bainerd White.
A four-run first set the tone, and the Storm would lead 6-0 through three before tacking on another six runs in the final inning.
Olafson had a 2-for-2 outing that included a pair of runs scored and two runs batted in, while Strueby was 1-for-4 with a run and two RBI. Ansell had a hit in four trips and scored a run.
Strueby did her thing in the circle, allowing two runs on four hits and walking two while striking out 14 of 24 and tossing another 101 pitches -- giving her a tidy 417 for the weekend to that point.
From there, it was into the winner bracket final, where they’d face a familiar foe: the Brookings Outlaws, who had handed the Ice their lone loss in the round robin.
Things looked good early this time around for Minot, as a pair of runs in each of the first two innings gave them a quick 4-2 lead. Brookings kept chipping away and by the end of the fifth inning, things were all tied up 6-6.
The Outlaws took over the next inning, though, with six runs giving them control of the game. The Storm got one back in the bottom of the frame, but that’s as close as they’d get.
Strueby would take the loss, with only seven of the 12 runs counting as earned. She’d give up 16 hits and walk four while striking out 11, throwing another 120 pitches in the process.
Strueby also had a good game at the plate, going 3-for-4 with a run and two RBI. Olafson was 2-for-4 with a pair of runs scored, Ansell 1-for-4 with a run.
That sent the Storm into the ‘B’ side final, where they’d settle for third place thanks to a 5-4 loss to West Fargo United.
It was a tough one, too, as after tying the game in the seventh and scoring in the extra inning, West Fargo would put up a pair of runs in the bottom of the extra to book their spot in the final.
Olafson was 2-for-4 with two RBI, while Strueby had a hit and a walk in four trips to the plate. Ansell was held without a hit.
Strueby capped the tournament by going 7 ⅓, allowing four runs, three earned, on six hits and four walks, striking out another 13 and throwing another 126 pitches, for a grand total of 663 through Minot’s eight games through the week.
