The U13 Astros with their championship banner after the gold medal game in Foam Lake. (PAMSA- Prince Albert Minor Softball Association/Facebook)

By Derek Craddock

PA SOFTBALL

Astros and Aces shine at softball provincials

Jul 17, 2023 | 12:00 PM

It was a winning weekend for dozens of young softball players from Prince Albert at provincial championships.

Among the teams that competed were the U13 Astros, who claimed gold after beating the Valley Blue Jays 13-11. The team trailed 3-0 and 9-4 early in the game before mounting the comeback in Foam Lake.

Head coach of the U13 Astros Steve Climenhaga said it was a complete team effort.

“Every single kid on our lineup contributed. Top to bottom, all players at bat and all 12 recorded a base hit in that final game,” he said.

He mentioned that the Valley Blue Jays were the only team to beat them in the regular season, which gave them a boost of momentum heading into the provincial tournament.

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The Astros went 4-0 in the round robin, setting up a semi-final against Saskatoon. They won that game 10-0 with their pitcher throwing a no-hitter.

The pitching and defence is just one of the aspects of the team that Climenhaga said set them apart from the rest of the field.

“I think I can probably count on one hand the number of errors we made and in six games of ball, our pitchers only walked eight batters which is unheard of at this level,” he said.

What made this championship extra special for Climenhaga is the fact that only three second-year players made the team. Despite the young squad, the coach said they still managed to come together and win.

“When the year started, we obviously didn’t know what to expect with having such a young team but we set a goal to improve all year.”

It wasn’t just the U13 team that had a good showing at provincials over the weekend. The U11 Aces also clinched gold in their championship game by beating the host team, Humboldt Thunder 8-3.

The U15 Astros played in the final of their division but fell to the Valley Vikings to settle for silver.

Meanwhile, the U15 AA Aces battled hard this weekend at provincials but didn’t medal. Nonetheless, the team played their hardest against tough opponents, wrapping up their season on a high note.

Climenhaga is on his way to Halifax for this year’s North American Indigenous Games as his daughter is competing in soccer. While there, he will take in the U16 and U19 fastball with almost 10 former and current Aces taking part.

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derek.craddock@pattisonmedia.com

Twitter: @princealbertnow