Wildcats U13 team earn program’s first gold medal

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This article was published 20/07/2023 (988 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

by CASSIDY DANKOCHIK

You couldn’t have written a better script for the Eastman Wildcats softball program. The U13 AAA team won the program’s first provincial championship on their home diamond, defeating the Westman Magic in dramatic fashion, needing two extra innings to win the gold medal in a 6-5 final.

The Wildcats needed to score three runs in the bottom of the sixth to even force extra innings, where the team faced even more adversity. They allowed runs in both the top of the seventh and eighth innings, before storming back to tie and then take victory in an extended championship game.

Russ Kihn coaches Eastman’s U13 AAA program. He said the key to the comeback came with some clutch at bats and strong baserunning.

“I’ve been coaching this group for the last six years, I’ve had some of these girls for four (years) now, and it’s just a culmination of our efforts,” Kihn said on winning a provincial title.

“It’s a great feeling.”

Kihn said the team was a little down heading into the bottom of the sixth inning, but picked right back up after a couple players managed to get on base.

Dugald’s Morgan Nault picked up the winning run, crossing home plate after hitting a triple in the bottom of the eighth. With Nault standing at third, all Avi Tindall had to do was put the ball in play, allowing Nault to score.

“She hustled,” Kihn said, noting Nault was ready to run on any contact.

The Wildcats went perfect through the round robin portion of the tournament, and then won the page playoff to earn their spot in the finals. With a long tournament, games were scheduled for Thursday, but were quickly stopped after torrential rain and a tornado warning.

Kihn had no shortage of praise for the crews who were able to get the fields back ready for play on Friday, in time for a scheduled 3 p.m. final on Sunday.

“Friedensfeld was amazing this weekend,” Kihn said.

“The guys worked their butts off on Thursday, and were able to get the diamond drained so it didn’t soak in… (Friedensfeld) is one of the best places to play in the province.”

Despite competing for the top of the standings for the past few years, Kihn said the U13 championship marked the program’s first gold medal.

“We struggled for years and years, now we’re doing really strong,” he said, noting five years ago the program was really struggling to produce results.

“We get more athletes (now)… Women’s softball is picking up.”

Kihn added he loves coaching the U13 age group, the first AAA level in Manitoba.

“The amount you see that they learn and they improve throughout the year, that’s the reward,” he said.

The other Wildcat teams will be looking to replicate their younger counterparts in the coming weeks. The U15 and U17 teams will be in action July 27-30 in Brandon and Stonewall respectively for provincials.