The Terrace Minor Softball Association came up big in this year’s provincial tournament in Smithers.
Three teams from the U12, U14 and U16 division competed from July 6-8, taking on 21 teams from across the province, including Smithers, Prince Rupert, Barriere, and Surrey.
Each tournament opened with a four-game round-robin stage before moving on to a double elimination bracket to determine the championship winners.
Coached by Bruce Neid and Dave Kirkaldy, the Terrace U14 team – which featured two female athletes and 11 first-year players – went undefeated all weekend, earning themselves gold medals in their championship game against 100 Mile House with a 12-10 victory.
Neid said it had been a close one, with 100 Mile up in the first two innings. Terrace then came back strong in the third with five runs, maintaining a two-point lead right until the end of the seventh.
“We’re definitely a strong-skilled team, we have a large talent pool for that age group,” Neid said. “When the team was picked, we knew we were getting some skilled players, which showed off turning the tournament.”
The U16 team, coached by club vice-president Jordie Edmonds and Ryan Praticante, also played an incredibly close game against the Barriere team in their championship final, taking home silver medals.
They had a head start with 3-0 in the first inning, but Barriere was able to tie it up going into the final stretch using bunting, base running and stealing strategies. With two-outs and bases loaded in the seventh, the Barriere hitter launched a ball over the head of Terrace’s right fielder, getting the last run for a final score of 10-9.
“Our right fielder made a hell of a throw to home, I mean it was a nail-biter,” Edmonds said. “It was incredible, it was an amazing game.”
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Despite the loss, Edmonds said the U16 team had dominated the tournament up until the championship game against Barriere, finishing first in their round-robin stage that ended with a 26-2 victory over Prince Rupert in game four.
The U12 team, coached by Lorne Wallington and Les Kutenics, finished fourth in their round-robin behind Williams Lake, with Clearwater taking the gold.
The U16 team is off to compete in the BC Summer Games this week from July 19-22. Several of Terrace’s U14 players have also been asked to join a select team going to the Western Canadian championships in Edmonton the first weekend in August.
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