It was a doubly golden July weekend on the ball field for the Payne siblings from Lloydminster.
Read more: Golden finish for 11U AA Twins Red in Baseball Alberta provincials
Haley Payne, 20, and her 16-year-old brother, Brody, each won provincial titles with their respective softball and baseball teams at championship tournaments in central Alberta.
Haley was part of an Edmonton-based team, the Stars, who were the gold-medallists at the provincial intermediate A women’s softball championship in Blackfalds. They edged the Calgary Xtreme 1-0 in the final.
women’s softball championship in Blackfalds . Submitted
Brody and his Wainwright Nationals were the provincial 18U AA Tier 6 baseball champions at Innisfail. They posted a 9-4 victory over the host Innisfail Hawks in the championship game.
Brody and Kitscoty’s Brayden Schiller, who were also teammates last summer with the 18U AA Lloydminster Prairie Pirates, were the older players this summer on an otherwise first-year group of Wainwright players at the 18U level.
The Nationals’ lineup included three other Kitscoty kids — Zack Bell, Nolan Kuntz and Caleb Traverse — and Vermilion’s Lindon Gannon. Traverse’s father, Craig, was the head coach of the Wainwright-based club. Kuntz’s father, Chris, was one of the assistant coaches.
Craig Traverse was a catcher for about 15 years with the senior Lloydminster Twins, playing alongside the likes of Kevin Payne, father of Brody and Haley.
Haley’s teammates last week with the provincial-champion Stars included another Lloydminster woman, Rose Rusteika. The pair grew up playing softball together in the Border City.
Earlier in July, Haley and the Saskatoon-based 222’s competed in the Canada Cup international women’s softball tournament at Surrey, B.C.
During the school year, she plays softball and studies at Simon Fraser University
in Burnaby, B.C.
Jaxon Tipler and head coach Craig Traverse. Submitted
Read more: Outstanding season for 18U AA Lloydminster Prairie Pirates ends with semifinal defeat at provincials
