Softball provincials come to Steinbach

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This article was published 12/07/2017 (2472 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Girls’ softball will reign supreme this weekend in Steinbach as the city hosts the Softball Manitoba U14 ‘B’ Girls Provincial Fastpitch Championships.

More than 300 competitors and 27 teams will be on hand on for the massive tournament, which gets underway Friday at noon at A.D. Penner Park.

Four diamonds will be utilized through the weekend as more than 60 games will be played before a provincial champion is finally determined Sunday evening.

Two local teams – Blumenort and Seine River will be among the teams competing. Both Blumenort and Seine River will open the tournament Friday at noon as Blumenort goes up against Bonivital West and Seine River will face Kirkfield Westwood.

The teams are divided into four pools and each team will play four round robin games.

The top two teams in each pool will advance to Sunday’s playoffs with the quarter-finals slated for 12:30 p.m., the semi-finals at 2:15 p.m. and the bronze and gold medal games both at 5:00 p.m.

The tournament is again being organized and run by the Steinbach District Umpires Association. That is a tradition that has carried on for about 25 years as the association hosts and runs at least one of the provincial championship tournaments in Steinbach.

In recent years it has been this same tournament, U14 ‘B’ Girls, that they have hosted and with 27 teams, this year’s event looks to be the largest.

Mike Klassen, one of nine local umpires that will be officiating on the weekend said last year there were 23 teams and in past years the numbers ranged from about 18-21 teams. “We hear that teams like coming here, playing at A.D. Penner Park and how the tournament is run.”

“It should be a busy weekend, “added Klassen. And with 27 teams here this weekend, many from a fair a distance away, local businesses will also be among the beneficiaries.