The Central Energy U17 softball team put together a remarkable performance at the 2025 Western Canadian Softball Championship, finishing with a silver medal after five days of intense competition in Regina.
The Aug. 7–10 tournament brought together the top teams from across the West, including Manitoba’s two representatives – the Interlake Phillies and Central Energy. Central Energy entered the championship after finishing fourth at provincials but quickly showed they were ready to contend against the region’s best.
The Energy’s opener on Thursday morning saw them fall 9-2 to Medicine Hat Thunder. Central Energy struck first in the bottom of the first, when Eve English grounded into a fielder’s choice to score a run and Addison Nikkel followed with a single to left, bringing home another. Medicine Hat responded in the second, tying the game on an error and a sacrifice fly, before pulling ahead with a single by Allie Evans in the third. Pitcher Gabrielle Hildebrand worked four innings, allowing seven runs (five earned) on eight hits. Nikkel went 2-for-3, while the team turned one double play. Game star: Molly Cowan.
In their second game later that day, Central Energy bounced back in convincing fashion with a 9-2 victory over Central Saanich Extreme U17B. English’s RBI single in the first got the Energy on the board, but Central Saanich briefly grabbed the lead in the second. The Energy erupted in their half of the inning, with Cowan’s two-run single, another RBI single from English, and a bases-loaded walk to Mya Richard. Cowan went 2-for-3 with three RBIs and pitched six strong innings, giving up just one earned run. The Energy stole six bases in the win, including three by Hailey-Jo Guffei. Game star: Molly Cowan.
Friday began with a 6-4 win over the Regina Royals. After falling behind 2-0 in the second, the Energy tied the game in the fourth when Taryn Toews singled to right. Regina briefly regained the lead in the fifth, but Central Energy stormed back in the sixth with four straight run-scoring hits from Toews, Guffei, Nikkel and English. Molly Cowan pitched five innings of relief for the win, while Toews finished 2-for-4 with two RBIs. Game star: Hailey-Jo Guffei.
The second game Friday was one of the most dramatic of the tournament – an 8-7 win over the Lumsden Cubs. English drove in four runs, starting with a two-RBI single in the first, a solo homer to right in the sixth, and a seventh-inning RBI double. Lumsden mounted a late rally in the bottom of the seventh but came up just short. Cowan pitched the final four innings in relief. Game star: Eve English.
Central Energy opened Saturday with a 7-4 win over Calgary Adrenaline. They took a 3-0 lead in the third on a two-run single by Toews and a sacrifice fly from Ava Bonik. Calgary fought back to take a 4-3 lead in the fifth, but Richard’s RBI double and Bonik’s fielder’s choice in the sixth restored the Energy’s advantage. Hildebrand pitched a complete game, striking out six. Game star: Gabbi Hildebrand.
The day’s second game saw the Energy handle Ridge Meadows Pride 7-3. Richard’s RBI groundout opened the scoring, and English’s solo homer in the fourth was followed by a two-run single from Richard. Funk pitched five innings for the win, with Cowan throwing two scoreless frames in relief. Game star: Kennedy Funk.
Sunday morning’s 13-12 loss to Central Saanich Extreme was an offensive slugfest. Cowan had a game for the ages, going 6-for-6 with four singles, two RBIs and a run scored. The Energy led 8-7 in the seventh before Central Saanich scored five times in the ninth to take control. Central Energy rallied for three in the bottom half but fell one run short. Game star: Molly Cowan.
The Energy regrouped with an 11-4 victory over Ridge Meadows Pride, fuelled by a six-run first inning. Taylor Wall’s three-run double, Richard’s RBI walk, and Becca Anderson’s two-run triple provided the early damage. Nikkel and English added RBIs in the second. Cowan threw 3 2/3 innings of scoreless relief. Wall led the way with three RBIs. Game star: Taylor Wall.
The gold-medal final brought another showdown with Central Saanich. Central Energy took a 4-1 lead in the second inning with RBI singles from Richard and Bonik, but Central Saanich tied it in the fifth. Toews’ fielder’s choice in the sixth restored the Energy lead at 5-4. In the bottom of the seventh, a walk and an error brought home the tying and winning runs for Central Saanich, sealing a 6-5 defeat for Central Energy. Bonik had two hits and two RBIs, while Richard and Bonik combined for all five RBIs. Game star: Eve English.
Over nine games, Central Energy combined a potent offence with balanced pitching. English was among the top hitters of the tournament, delivering clutch RBIs in multiple games, while Nikkel, Richard and Cowan all posted multi-hit performances throughout the week. Cowan’s six-hit game was one of the tournament’s top individual feats, and Hildebrand, Funk and Wall all contributed key innings in the circle.
Game stars across the tournament: Molly Cowan (three times), Hailey-Jo Guffei, Eve English (twice), Gabbi Hildebrand, Kennedy Funk, and Taylor Wall.
The silver medal marks the highlight of a 2025 season in which Central Energy combined power, speed and resilience to compete with – and often beat – the best in Western Canada.
