Central Energy walk out of provincials as silver medalists

While it wasn't quite the final result they wanted, the Central Energy are proud of their performances at the U19 Softball Provincial Championship. 

The Energy finished second in round-robin play and defeated the Eastman Phillies on Sunday morning to qualify for the final. In the championship game, it was the Smitty's Terminators who came out on top 5-0.

Shortstop for the Energy, Olivia Goderis, says they left the diamond with their head held high in spite of the loss.

"We slowly built upon the weekend. Game-by-game, we improved as a team and worked together. I think this last game we can use, not only to build on for the next couple of practices, but our next goal coming up is Western Canadian Championship," Goderis explains. "That's a really attainable goal for us. So, I think we'll have a short-term memory and build up for Westerns."

The gold medal game was a rematch from last year's final; however, the Energy were on the winning side in 2022. Goderis talks about the rivalry these two teams had over the last few seasons.

"Over time, there's a lot of competitive energy that built up between us. The fans know it. You can tell every time we step on the field with these guys. None of those previous games meant as much as this one, so you could definitely feel the energy."

The Swan Lake product is very happy that this isn't the end of the road.

"I've played with some of these girls for seven or eight years. We grew up together," says Goderis. "We've had the same coaching staff. We built a family. Especially with this being my last year, I'm glad we have more time together."

Goderis outlines what they'll have to do differently at the Western Canadian Championship in Regina.

"The energy part of things is under our control. In past games, we've lost our energy halfway through the game and kind of settled for the L (loss). In this game, we came with a lot of energy, and I think that'll help us moving forward."

The Central Energy will head out to Regina for the Western Canadian Championship on August 4.