It was a full slate of softball for Central Energy teams over the weekend as the organization’s U13, U15, U17 and U19 squads hit the diamonds for league action and tournament play across Manitoba.
Central Energy U13 capture bronze at Wheat City Classic
Central Energy’s U13 squad brought home a bronze medal from the Wheat City Classic softball tournament over the weekend, delivering a string of dominant performances against teams from across the Prairies.
The team opened the tournament Friday with a convincing 15-8 win over the Manitoba Angels. Kaitlyn B. drove in two runs with a key second-inning single as Central scored five runs to take early control. The Energy offence was relentless, piling up 13 hits, including inside-the-park home runs by Addison D. and Emma S.. Kaitlyn went 3-for-3 at the plate, while Brady W. struck out five over three innings in the circle.
Later that day, Central overwhelmed the Moose Jaw Ice 18-0 behind a two-homer, seven-RBI performance from Reese F. Her grand slam in the second inning put the game out of reach early. Addison D. and Collins V. combined for four shutout innings, giving up just one hit while striking out eight. The Energy collected 17 hits in total, with multiple players contributing offensively, including Kinley C., Brielle F., and Brady W.
On Saturday, Central edged the Westman Magic 9-6 in a back-and-forth battle. After falling behind early, the Energy responded with a five-run first inning that included a two-run single from Reese. In the fourth, Lindsay F. delivered a two-run homer to extend the lead. Emma S. and Collins split pitching duties, combining for six strikeouts and holding the Magic at bay.
Sunday’s bronze-medal match saw U13 Energy defeat the White Butte Storm 16-8. The team exploded for six runs in the third inning and another five in the fifth. Jaidyn S. had five RBIs, including a three-run single in the final frame, while Brielle F. led all hitters with a 3-for-3 performance. Central stole 13 bases and committed no errors defensively.
With four wins and only one loss, the bronze-medal result highlights a strong midseason stretch for the Energy, who will travel to face the Eastman Wildcats next.
Central Energy U15 power into gold medal game at Wheat City Classic
The U15 Central Energy softball team delivered a dominant performance over the weekend at the Wheat City Classic, storming through round-robin and playoff matchups before rain forced the gold medal final to be postponed. The team will finish the tournament at a later date.
After dropping their opening game 9-2 to the Eastman Wildcats on Friday, Energy quickly bounced back with five consecutive wins to earn a shot at gold. Bree Pearce drove in both runs in the loss to Eastman, and Shyanne Goertzen struck out four in the circle while giving up just three earned runs.
The bats came alive later that day in an 11-3 win over TCA U15A. Blaine Wiebe launched a solo home run to tie the game in the second, and Payton Manness doubled in two more runs to cap the inning. A five-run fourth sealed the win, with Ella Conrad, Zoey Shantz and Pearce each delivering RBI singles. Wiebe picked up the win in the circle with six strikeouts across four innings.
Energy kept rolling Saturday with an 8-3 victory over the Manitoba Angels. Wiebe stayed hot at the plate, blasting a two-run homer in the first and collecting three hits in the game. Kelsey Dyck drove in three runs, and Goertzen added a solo shot in the fourth. Kylie Wiebe earned the win with four strikeouts in four innings of work.
Goertzen stole the show in Energy’s 12-3 win over Moose Jaw U15A later that day, going a perfect 4-for-4 with a three-run homer and scoring three times. Blaine Wiebe added a grand slam in the fourth, while Goertzen struck out seven in a complete-game win.
Energy capped their weekend on Sunday with a 14-0 rout of White Butte Storm. Pearce went 3-for-3 with a double and two singles, while Goertzen, Conrad and Hailey Baldwin each drove in runs during an eight-run second inning. Goertzen tossed four shutout innings, giving up just two hits.
Central Energy U15 is set to resume league play next weekend, while their gold medal final in Brandon will be rescheduled in the coming weeks.
U17 Central Energy undefeated en route to Wheat City Classic
The U17 Central Energy softball team ran the table at the Wheat City Classic over the weekend, stringing together four straight wins to punch their ticket to the gold medal game before rain halted the final. The championship match will be rescheduled for a later date.
Central’s weekend began with a statement win over the Manitoba Angels 17U, a game that saw Hailey-Jo Guffei go 3-for-4 at the plate and Taylor Wall pitch a complete game in an 11-6 victory. Eve English, Taryn Toews and Addison Nikkel each drove in runs as Central racked up 14 hits and six stolen bases while committing no errors in the field.
Later that day, Central defeated the Twin City Angels 9-5 behind Wall’s two-run homer and a solid outing from Molly Cowan, who went the distance in the circle. Ava Bonik and English chipped in RBI hits, while the defence stayed sharp behind Cowan’s steady performance.
On Saturday, Central surged to a 10-5 win over Westman Magic, powered by a six-run second inning. Toews and Guffei each knocked in a pair of runs, while Guffei and Gabrielle Hildebrand recorded multi-hit games. Kennedy Funk started in the circle, and Nikkel came in as relief to close it out.
Central wrapped round-robin play with a dominant 12-1 win over Interlake Phillies. The team erupted for 10 runs in the sixth inning, highlighted by a two-run homer from Kara Buhler and RBI doubles by Cowan and Bonik. Nikkel tossed six efficient innings, allowing no earned runs and striking out four.
Toews led the team with a 3-for-4 performance in the finale, helping U17 Energy finish the tournament 4-0 and outscore opponents 42-17.
The U17 Energy return to league play Thursday when they host Westman Magic.
U19 Central Energy sweep Angels/Phillies in back-to-back victories
The U19 Central Energy squad pieced together two solid team efforts this week to sweep a two-game series against the Angels/Phillies 19U/18U team, edging out a narrow 4-3 win on Tuesday before cruising to a 9-2 victory in the rematch.
In the series opener, Central Energy jumped out to an early lead with a four-run first inning, highlighted by an RBI single from Maddy Friesen and a two-run error that gave them a 3-1 advantage. Nelia Fehr drove in the eventual game-winning run on a groundout.
Rory Lumgair started in the circle and battled through four and two-thirds innings, striking out four while allowing three runs, only two of them earned. Friesen then shut the door in relief, tossing two and one-third scoreless innings and striking out three to preserve the one-run lead.
Friesen also led the team at the plate, going 2-for-3, while Central turned a key double play defensively.
The second game saw Nelia Fehr take command on the mound, striking out 12 and allowing just five hits and two runs over six innings in a dominant 9-2 win.
After falling behind 1-0 in the second inning, Central responded quickly. Ella Harkness tied the game with a single and Christina VanDeVelde brought home another on a groundout. The offence kept rolling from there, with VanDeVelde finishing the day 2-for-3 with three RBIs, and Emma Klassen going 3-for-4.
Central Energy racked up 15 hits in the contest, with Fehr, Lumgair and Hailey-Jo Guffei each posting multi-hit games.
With the wins, U19 Central Energy continues to build momentum midway through the season. They’ll face Angels/Phillies again next Tuesday in the return matchup.
