South Cariboo Minor Softball’s 100 Mile N’ Hour U13 and U15 teams snagged medals in last week’s provincials.
The U13 team claimed gold, while the U15 team brought home bronze, following a hard-fought battle in the tournament.
“The pinnacle of our season is provincials and they saved their best ball for the end of the year,” said minor softball president Pat Findlay, adding the teams practiced two to three nights a week to prepare for the tournament.
Findlay coached the U15 team, which fought hard but couldn’t squeak past a third-place finish. In Merritt last weekend, they competed against two teams from Terrace, as well as teams from Barriere and Merritt. The team initially placed third in the round-robin portion of the tournament, finishing with a 2-2 record.
However, they rebounded in the finals, giving Terrace Team 2 a “heck of a game” on Sunday. But while they were up three runs going into the final inning, Terrace ultimately came back, beating them 5-4.
“We ended up playing Barriere next game and it was a lose-and-go-home situation. We had a really good game and went to an extra inning and we won that game in the bottom of the seventh inning,” Findlay said, noting they beat them 7-6.
Their victory earned them a rematch with the Terrace Titans, a team that has beaten 100 Mile House every year. Once again Findlay said his team gained a lead over their opponents and had them on the ropes but couldn’t ultimately clinch a victory.
Despite losing 7-5, he said it earned them their bronze medal. The Titans claimed gold in the final game of the tournament.
READ MORE: 100 Mile House under-12 softball team lands bronze in provincial tournament
“We knew it was going to be tough against the two Terrace teams. They’re a strong association and strong teams and we’ve played against them for years,” Findlay said. “Our kids have grown quite the relationship with the Terrace kids. It’s rivalry but they have great friendships amongst themselves.”
patrick.davies@100milefreepress.net
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