JB’s Sales and Service poses after winning the Copper Country Women’s Fastpitch League championship Saturday in Lake Linden. JB’s Sales and Service defeated REL, Inc. 17-3. (Eddie O’Neill/The Daily Mining Gazette)

LAKE LINDEN — If there ever was a day in a season when a sport’s team would want to be playing their best ball, it most certainly would be with the championship on the line.

On Saturday at the Boneyard, JB’s Sales and Services was that team as they defeated REL, Inc. 17-3 in just five innings to win the Holly McCullah traveling trophy for the Copper Country Women’s Fastpitch 2022 Championship Tournament.

JB’s Sales and Service had the momentum going from the top of their lineup on down, and it ignited in the first inning and stayed burning till the last out.

“The key to today’s win was our energy throughout the field and at the plate,” said JB’s Sales and Service player-manager Mackenzie Ekdahl. “We hit the ball well and ran the bases aggressively.”

REL, Inc’s player-manager, Vera Peterson, agreed.

“(JB’s Sales and Service) had the momentum, and they just kept rolling,” she said. “We couldn’t keep them off base, and we kept digging a deeper and deeper hole.”

JB’s Sales and Service posted a 2-0 after the first inning. Ekdahl and Cori Jahfestson both crossed home on hits by Jahfeston and Gwen Markham.

REL, Inc. began to dig their own gave in the second inning with three walks in row issued by starting pitcher Vera Peterson. That translated into three unearned runs and a 5-0 game after two.

The proverbial nail in the coffin game in the fourth inning when JB’s Sales and Service scored 11 runs and turned a 6-2 game into a 17-2 tilt.

In that frame, JB’s Sales and Service went through the lineup twice scoring five runs before REL could snag the first out. Clea Ollanketo had a double and single and scored twice. Ekdahl and Jahfetson crossed home two times as well.

REL, Inc.’s three runs came with two in the fourth and one in the fifth. In the fourth it was Ashley Lehto and Vera Peterson who both got hits and scored. Megan Peterson reached on an error in the fifth and eventually scored. However all of this was way too little and way too late in the game to make a difference.

Grace Brunet earned the complete-game win for JB’s.

“We’ve had girls step up and play clutch roles all season,” Ekdahl said. “And that happened again today. There is a great team chemistry on this roster.”

This was the third time these two teams had met this season. They split two games during the regular season. REL, Inc. handed JB’s Sales and Service their only loss on the year. With that, JB’s Sales and Service entered this year-end tournament as the top seed. REL, Inc. was the second seed.

As the top seed, JB’s earned a bye in the quarterfinal round of games played on Thursday of last week. Then in semifinal action on Saturday morning, they defeated Tervo Agency 6-5 to earn their spot in the title game.

REL, Inc.’s journey to the championship game began with a quarterfinal win over Northern Michigan Land Brokers 15-5 on Thursday. REL, Inc. defeated Crush 14-1 in the other semifinal to reach the championship.

Despite the loss, REL’s player-manager wasn’t complaining.

“Today just wasn’t our day,” Peterson said. “However, it was a great season. We did well and had a lot of fun. We’ll be back and ready to go next year.”

REL, Inc. 000 21 – 3

JB’s 231 11x – 17