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MERRILL, Wis. -- The Copper Country Crush 12U softball team, sponsored by Dean Kangas State Farm and GLSV, put together a 4-1 weekend and advanced to the championship game of the 21st Annual Fastpitch Tournament in Merrill, Wisconsin, July 24-26.
The Crush won their first four games before falling to DGSA Red in extra innings in Sunday’s championship.
They opened tournament play Friday with a 5-3 victory over DGSA Red.
The Crush took control with runs in the second and third innings and received contributions throughout the lineup. Ari Jahfetson, Ramona Raisanen, Ava Giachino, Emma Kangas, Giana Guilbault and Vivian Mattson each recorded a hit.
Raisanen earned the win in the circle, with Rouleau and Kangas providing relief. The Crush also played error-free defense and turned a double play.
On Saturday, Copper Country improved to 2-0 with a 6-4 victory over Everest Fastpitch 12U.
After the game was tied in the fifth inning, Kangas delivered a go-ahead triple and Raisanen followed with an RBI single. Raisanen had two hits and two RBIs, while also striking out eight over four innings in the circle.
The Crush showed patience and aggressiveness throughout the game, drawing 11 walks and stealing 15 bases.
They returned Sunday for bracket play and produced their biggest offensive performance of the weekend in a 13-3 victory over the North Fondy Stealers.
Izi Jahfetson went 3-for-3 with an inside-the-park home run, a triple and a single. She drove in four runs, while Raisanen added four RBIs.
Ari Jahfetson also hit an inside-the-park home run, and Giachino and Rouleau joined Ari Jahfetson with multiple-hit games. The Crush finished with 12 hits and nine stolen bases while again playing error-free defense.
Copper Country then defeated the Ashwaubenon Jaguars 6-1 to earn a spot in the championship game.
Raisanen allowed just three hits and one run over four innings, striking out seven without issuing a walk.
Kangas went 3-for-3 from the leadoff spot, including a triple, while Izi Jahfetson added two hits.
The Crush defense was flawless for the third time during the tournament.
The championship brought a rematch with DGSA Red, and developed into a pitching and defensive battle.
The game remained scoreless through regulation, with Raisanen allowing just two hits over four scoreless innings for the Crush. Copper Country was unable to break through offensively, however, and DGSA scored seven runs in the seventh inning to take the championship 7-0.
Ari Jahfetson led the Crush with two hits in the game.
Despite the championship loss, the weekend represented another step forward for the Copper Country team. The Crush went 4-1, outscored opponents 30-15 and played error-free defense in four of their five games.
Their only loss came after taking an undefeated tournament run into extra innings in the championship game.
The weekend also featured contributions throughout the Crush lineup. Raisanen provided consistent pitching and run production, Kangas contributed at the plate and in relief, and Izi Jahfetson delivered one of the team’s biggest offensive performances of the summer.
Ari Jahfetson was steady both offensively and defensively, while Giachino, Guilbault, Mattson, Elin Pelli and Rouleau all contributed hits, runs, defense and aggressive baserunning during the team’s run to the championship game.
Copper Country returned home from Merrill as tournament runner-up after playing five games in three days and coming within an extra-inning battle of completing an undefeated championship weekend.