CFYSA team places fourth at U-14

softball tourney

The Columbia Falls Youth Softball Traveling All Star U-14 Wildkats team in its inaugural season playing in its first tournament took home a fourth-place trophy in prestigious Great Falls Electric City Heat Classic.

This tournament is the biggest and most important fastpitch tournament in the state.

There were 71 teams competing the U-10, U-12, U-14, U-16, and U-18 age categories. CFYSA was represented with a U-10, U-12, and a U-14 team. This is the first year CFYSA had an all-star team for both the U-10, and U-14 age categories.

Some of the communities represented included Anaconda, Helena, Great Falls, Billings, Kalispell, Missoula, Frenchtown, Butte, Bozeman, Belgrade, Polson, Hamilton, Bitterroot Valley, as well as 10 teams from Canada, including Central Alberta, Saskatoon, and Calgary.

The U-14 age category had 17 different teams in it. Besides winning a fourth place trophy, the team was voted the Sportsmanship Trophy by the Umpires. Pitching all six games was Drew Walter. Catching was shared by Amber James and Cedar Smith. Awarded web gem certificates good for T-shirts for exceptional play over the six games were Shannon Holmes and Sam Connor for outstanding catches in the outfield, and long ball hitting, Amanda Milliard for highest on base percentage and runs scored, and Drew Walter as team most valuable player. Other players contributing to the team's success were Amanda "R" Richards, Brittany Stevenson, Kayla Stinger, Mandy Toavs, Michonne Cronquist and Morgan Rowe.

The most exciting play in the tournament came against the Great Falls Heat #1 team.

With the score tied at nine in the bottom of the seventh inning, the lead off batter for the Heat tripled. Time out was called by the coaching staff. The infield was brought in, and the outfielders were likewise brought in shallow.

The next batter popped out to third base for the first out. With one out the batter hit a high fly ball to right field, Holmes camped under the ball, caught it and threw a strike to Smith at home plate who was blocking the plate from the runner who had tagged up at third base upon the catch being made.

The runner slid in hard to Smith. Smith took the slide, made the tag, and held on to the ball. Runner out.

The team has tournaments coming up in Polson, Kalispell and the state tournament in Helena before its season is concluded.