The Interlake Phillies U17 squad is headed west after capturing bronze at the 2025 Softball Manitoba Provincial Championships.
The Phillies secured third place in the U17 AAA female division following a two-weekend showdown that began July 17 and concluded July 26 in Stonewall. The tournament was disrupted by wildfire-related air quality concerns, forcing organizers to delay several games and resume play a week later.
Despite the interruption, the Phillies kept their focus and clinched a medal — and a berth at the Western Canadian Softball Championship in Regina — with a thrilling playoff victory over Central Energy.
“We are super proud of the girls’ resilience, and it’s just another example of their mindset of finishing strong — as they have all year,” said head coach Taylor Hagen.
Interlake opened the tournament with a 3–1 win over Smitty’s U17. Kassie Siwak was dominant in the circle, fanning 13 batters while allowing just one run over seven innings. Avery Deprez, Lucy Hoff and Riley Swanson each drove in runs, while Abi Minnie went 2-for-4 at the plate.
Later that day, the Phillies faced Central Energy and dropped a close 10–7 decision. Interlake briefly held the lead in the fifth, scoring five runs, but Central responded with a late surge. Keira Pattie drove in two runs and was among four Phillies with multi-hit games.
Interlake’s final matchup of the opening weekend ended in an 11–0 loss to the Winnipeg Lightning, who broke the game open with a nine-run fifth inning. Siwak took the loss, though she gave up only three earned runs over nearly five innings.
The Phillies rebounded in style when play resumed July 25, defeating the Manitoba Angels 7–2. A five-run third inning, highlighted by a bases-clearing single from Hoff, gave Interlake all the momentum it needed. Paige Powroznik went 3-for-4 to lead the offence, while Siwak and Peyton Rinn combined for a strong performance in the circle.
“There wasn’t one component — offence or defence — that carried us through provincials,” Hagen said. “It was the complete effort and great attitudes that earned the girls a bronze.”
In Saturday’s playoff opener, the fourth-ranked Phillies earned redemption with an 8–5 win over No. 3 Central Energy. Interlake battled from behind three times and came out on top, thanks to a clutch seventh-inning rally that included a triple from Olivia Hagan, RBI singles from Rinn and Deprez, and a wild pitch that scored another run. Rinn also earned the complete-game win on the mound, scattering eight hits and striking out three.
“It was a huge accomplishment for the girls to win bronze,” said Hagen. “For the majority of our players, it’s their first time medaling at AAA provincials.”
That victory secured the Phillies’ spot on the podium — and a trip to Westerns — regardless of the outcome of their final matchup.
Interlake’s tournament ended with an 11–1 loss to the Lightning, as Winnipeg scored 10 runs in the fourth to end the game early. Siwak took the loss, though only one of the eight runs she allowed was earned.
With provincials in the rear-view mirror, the Phillies now turn their focus to the Western Canadian Softball Championship, taking place Aug. 7–10 in Regina, Sask.
“We’ll hold a few practices and hopefully take some time to rest a few minor injuries that have been nagging girls,” said Hagen. “They’ve worked hard and earned this.”
The Eastman Wildcats defeated the Lightning 4–1 in the gold medal game. As the top two finishers, Eastman and the Lightning will represent Softball Manitoba at the U17 Female Canadian Championships in Warman, Sask., from July 30 to Aug. 3.
Interlake, along with Central Energy, will represent Manitoba at the U17 Female Western Canadian Softball Championships in Regina.
“It has been a joy to coach these girls this year,” said Hagen. “I’ve been with and around the majority of them for six years in different coaching roles. They’ve grown from a team that suffered a few years of disappointing results at provincials to where they are now — entering each season with a goal of winning it all.”
Stonewall successfully resumes Softball Manitoba U19 AAA Provincials
Alas, Stonewall and the U19 Interlake Phillies/Angels finally got to host the remainder of Softball Manitoba U19 AAA Provincial Championships at Quarry Park.
After smoky conditions postponed the tournament on day two back on July 19, competition picked back up last Saturday with the conclusion of the round robin and playoffs.
The Phillies/Angels entered Saturday already behind the eight ball after going 0-3 in the originally scheduled games.
On Saturday they closed out the tournament with one final ball game against the Winnipeg Lightning where they fell 7-3 the final at Quarry Park.
That put an end to their tournament, but play continued Saturday with the remainder of the round robin and playoffs.
The Westman Magic were favourites to win after finishing first in the round robin and moving on to the first and second place game against Central Energy.
From there, Westman punched their ticket to the finals with an 8-1 win over Central.
Westman and Central then met up again in the championship that evening after Central eliminated the Winnipeg Lightning in the second and third place game.
In the final, runs were much harder to come by with pitching on point for both sides.
Westman ultimately scored the game’s opening run which proved to be the only one on the evening as they took it 1-0 and celebrated a provincial title at Quarry Park.
