Vikings defend city softball title
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When Kasia Baranyk was halfway to a cycle in the first inning, she liked her team’s chances.
The leadoff hitter scored twice in a huge opening frame, propelling the Vincent Massey Vikings to a 16-5 win over the Neelin Spartans in the Brandon High School Softball League final at Ashley Neufeld Softball Complex on Tuesday.
The speedy sophomore can’t recall batting twice in an inning, let alone scoring a pair.
Kasia Baranyk scored three runs in the first two innings as the Vincent Massey Vikings beat the Neelin Spartans 16-5 in the city softball championship game at Ashley Neufeld Softball Complex on Tuesday. (Thomas Friesen/The Brandon Sun)
“Never, it was a great feeling,” Baranyk said. “The girls were buzzing today, good vibes and good at bats.
“More energy, hype, everyone was happy for each other, it was awesome.”
The teams split the season series, both winning 12-5 as the home side. So they had a coin toss for the right to choose to bat first or second, and losing it may have been the best thing for Massey.
While Katie Bell ignited the Neelin offence with a two-run homer in the opening frame, Vikings pitcher Quinn Twordik shook it off and struck out the next two batters to end the inning. It was certainly a little easier to bounce back while still up 8-2.
“It’s just huge. It gets you fired up, you’re already in a good mood and you’re just ready to go,” Twordik said.
“Things are going to go wrong, but it’s really just a mental game getting back into everything.
“I’m just a very calm person. I don’t let a ton bother me … I trust the girls behind me, and all was fine settling there. OK, you gave that up; there’s nothing you can do about it now.”
After nearly the entire Massey lineup touched home in the first, the Vikings went right back to work, stringing singles and doubles to tack on five more runs.
Quinn Twordik pitched all four innings, recording four strikeouts for the Vincent Massey Vikings as they beat the Neelin Spartans 16-5 in the city softball championship game at Ashley Neufeld Softball Complex on Tuesday. (Thomas Friesen/The Brandon Sun)
Zara Pople answered with a run in the bottom half, but Massey still led 13-3.
The pitchers, Twordik and Layla Desjardin, controlled the third inning, then the Vikings tacked on three more runs on a handful of hard ground balls.
Needing four runs to avoid the run rule, the Spartans rallied as Hayley Beckwith and Kennedy Smith drove in runs.
But Jade Campbell made a terrific catch in left field, and Jayce Whiteside hauled in the last out to seal the win.
Massey hosts an interzone game next week, with the winner heading to provincials on June 5-6 in Pilot Mound.
The Vikings reached the final last year, but fell to a St-Joachim/Real Berard co-op team loaded with Eastman Selects AAA players. Massey hasn’t graduated anyone from that team, though, so it’s safe to say they’re a tournament favourite should they make it.
“I didn’t pitch very well in the final last year, so that’s definitely one thing I need to do for myself. If the bats stay hot, we’ll definitely have a great chance at winning,” Twordik said.
Layla Desjardin pitched all four innings in the Spartans loss. (Thomas Friesen/The Brandon Sun)
Baranyk feels Twordik can do just that.
“She was humming at the start. She was doing awesome, pitching like she always does, awesome to see,” Baranyk said, adding a weekend like Tuesday’s game would take them a long way.
“Our pitching’s always great. (We need to) have good at-bats and see where that takes us.”
» tfriesen@brandonsun.com