Softball teams compete at Emeralds Smash Tournament

Mission Valley softball teams traveled to the KidSports Complex in Kalispell over the weekend to compete in the 2025 Emeralds Smash tournament, which featured dozens of teams in the 10U, 14U, and 16/18U divisions.

In the 16/18U bracket, the Lady Pirates faced tough competition in B pool play. They dropped a hard-fought opener to the CV Blue Sox, 12-7, before falling to Calgary’s Kaizen-Copeland squad 15-0. They closed pool play with a 17-1 loss to the 18U Emeralds, who went on to win the Gold Bracket title. In Sunday’s Silver Bracket semifinal, the Lady Pirates, seeded 11th, were eliminated by the No. 8 Sparks Fastpitch squad, 17-2.

The 18U Emeralds emerged as the weekend’s top team in the 16/18U division, rallying for an 8-5 win over the Mission Valley Stars in the championship game. The Stars had previously advanced with victories over the CV Blue Sox and in pool play matchups against U17 Calgary Adrenaline, the 19U Selects, and the 16U Emeralds-Grady.

In the 14U division, the Polson-based Purple Rain team captured the Silver Bracket championship. Purple Rain defeated Libby 12-5 in the semifinal and edged Fearless 10-9 in a thrilling final. The team went 2-1 in pool play with wins over the Dirtballers (8-1) and the North Idaho Lightning (11-0), and a 4-0 loss to the CV Blue Sox-B/M.

Polson’s youngest team, the 10U Lady Pirates, also showed grit in a challenging bracket. They went 1-2 in pool play, defeating the LCV Bombers 7-4 before dropping games to Calgary X-Treme (15-0) and C-Town Rebs (4-2). In the seeded bracket, the Lady Pirates fell 11-3 to the Whitefish Lady Dawgs, who went on to play for placement in the bracket’s upper tier.

The tournament gave Polson’s teams valuable experience against high-level regional opponents as they prepare for the rest of the summer season.