The Sooke Loggers have bumped up in the International Softball Congress rankings, from 29 to 14 over the fastball season.
Len Banner, field manager, said the exceptional season is due to great hitting, good pitching and finally getting the team’s defence in order.
“We were beating teams that were ranked higher than us, which brings us up in the standings,” he said.
Standing regulators determine rankings by monitoring wins and losses for each team.
Banner said at the start of the season, the Loggers would have been content at ranking between 15 to 20 amongst the 39 teams. But goals have changed since cracking the top 15.
“Our goal is to hit the top 10,” he said.
The team’s last tournament, the Nafa Open -- Holm Classic, was in Fargo, North Dakota on June 16-17, where they earned second place.
The Loggers had a good start, going undefeated until the final gold-winning match.
During the championship game, the Loggers lost to Wisconsin team, Circle Tap, with a score of 9-8.
The loss was unexpected as the Loggers defeated Circle Tap, 4-0 in a prior game. They also began the championship game with a four run lead heading into the bottom of the seventh, with 8-4.
“It was a tough loss because when you’re up 8-4, you don’t expect to lose,” Banner said. “We had it in our grasp there, and we let it go.”
The Loggers final tourney before the ISC World Tournament will be the 11th Annual Bob Law Vancouver Challenge on July 20-22.