Tremendous season concludes for Westman Magic
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- Published on Wednesday, August 22, 2018
U14 club win silver at Western Canadian Championship
Submitted
The Westman Magic U14 club have closed out their softball season with an extremely impressive effort at the Western Canadian Championship (WCC). The Magic, who were one of two teams representing Manitoba at the event staged recently in Edmonton, were able to claim the silver medal.
The first day of the tournament started on a solid note for Westman, as they bested the Edmonton Hornets 1-0 after an intense game, which included two extra Innings. The team moved on and then trounced Coquitlam Classics, by the score of 9-0.
Following a 7-5 loss to the Calgary Kaizens to begin the second day of the event, the young ladies rebounded to beat South Delta Invaders 4-2, then blanked the Oxbow Southeast Hawks 9-0.
Finishing the round robin play, Magic secured a win over the Unity Panthers by a 10-1 margin. With the round robin concluded, the Westman Magic finished round-robin play in second place, setting them up for the semifinal game against Calgary. After a solid first inning, bringing in five runs then adding an additional three runs, earned them an 8-3 win in the semifinal. That advanced them to the gold medal game versus the Edmonton Hornets
Edmonton rallied early in the final game and was able to claim the gold, with a 7-0 win. Despite the loss in the final game, the event as a whole has been deemed a great success for this group of young and talented Westman ladies.
The U14 Magic had earned the right to represent Manitoba after a solid provincial run adding to a tournament gold they picked up in Saskatoon, a silver at a tournament in Fargo, N.D. as well as a third-place finish in Regina earlier in the year.
The Westman Magic is made up of players from across the region, including three from Neepawa. Those players are Trynity Turner, Brennah McLaughlin and Paige Chudley. To go along with those players, Ryan McLaughlin of Neepawa is also involved, serving as a coach for the U14 squad. In an interview with the Brandon Sun, immediately after the conclusion of the WCC, McLaughlin commended the players, for their improvement throughout the season, both on and off the diamond.
“I said to the girls, at the end of the year, every one of you is not only leaving as a better ballplayer but also, I feel, as a better person,” McLaughlin said. “A little more mature and they understand a little more about the team concept and the group. I think they brought a lot of class to the Magic name. They really made a name for themselves, both on and off the field, the way they conducted themselves off the field and the way they played hard and their work ethic and professionalism. I couldn’t be prouder of all of those girls.”
