Bandits win final
N. Jensen Bandit pitcher Kim Wallace delivers against the Sports World Panthers as the Bandits won Game 3 of the best-of-three Red Deer Ladies Fastball Association final 5-2 ladies fastball action at Great Chief Park on Thursday night.
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Bandits 5 Panthers 2
In the end, experience was the key for the N. Jensen’s Bandits.
The veteran-laden Bandits downed the Sports World Panthers 5-2 Thursday at Great Chief Park to win the best-of-three Red Deer Ladies Fastball Association championship series 2-1.
The Panthers prevailed 6-4 in Tuesday’s series opener, but the Bandits forced a deciding contest with a 7-4 victory 24 hours later.
“We’re a veteran team and that had a lot to do with coming back and winning (the series),” said Bandits captain Trudy Haraldson.
The 14th-year catcher praised winning pitcher Kim Wallace and Aeryal Stefanik, who stroked a timely triple and scored the Bandits’ final run.
“She’s an awesome player,” Haraldson said of Stefanik. “She’s dedicated, strong, and she brings her game every night. She was an offensive and defensive leader for us all season.”
Thursday’s victory marked the fifth league championship for the Bandits during Haraldson’s time with the team.
“But it’s our first championship in five years,” she said.
The Bandits, who finished second to the league-leading Panthers during the regular season, lost to an Edmonton team in the semifinals of the provincial women’s fastball championship tournament last month in Stony Plain. The Edmonton squad went on to take the Alberta crown.
“We’ve had a very good year,” said Haraldson. “We had a good bunch of girls and we had a fun year.
“But I’m sad, though. There’s a couple of girls who are moving away and leaving the team.”
