Final four book Softball Extravaganza slots

Calistus Kolantsho | Wednesday July 9, 2025 10:56

The Southern Zone will be represented by BDF IX, Police IX, Titans and Vikings at the 16th edition of Selebi-Phikwe Softball Extravaganza to be held over the President’s holidays. The four teams booked their slots during the elimination tournament that was held over the weekend at the National Diamond and the University of Botswana grounds.

The women’s category defending champions, BDF, proved that they are going to Phikwe to defend their title by overpowering Rivals 10-0, walloping Panthers 19-7, only to pick a 4-3 loss against Police. However, it will not be a walk in the park as other teams will not make it an easy mission. Police picked up wins in all their outings, beating Panthers 17-2, beating UB Giants 9-5, an 8-1 win against Rivals and a 4-3 against cross-town rivals BDF.

Vikings catcher, Keamogetse Nkoane said losing the first match to Titans was an eye opener as they approached other games. Vikings went on to beat Dinare 18-0, 3-0 win against Wells International and 9-0 victory against Bears.

“We were unlucky on that day, we just made one mistake and we got punished. Tactically, we got it wrong on that day. Defensively, we were not bad, moving forward, we should work more on offence,” she said.

BDF coach, Mothusi Shalobane said eliminations went well because they managed to secure a slot for the tournament. He mentioned that there were many surprises during the tournament as teams showed that they had prepared well.

“We should also improve on our preparations, because we have realized that the Extravaganza is going to be tough. Teams that have qualified for the tournament are strong and we expect them to give us a run for our money, an indication that softball is improving,” he said.

Reacting to a loss against Police, Shalobane said it was a huge upset because they approached the game in full force. He said they lost at a time when they could not recover and come back because it was at the end of the game. He said it was a painful loss, especially that they had to go and prepare for UB Giants, a game that nearly changed many things if UB were well prepared.

“It was a painful loss. We spent the night wondering what had happened because we thought that everything was going our way. It was even more stressful because after it, we had to go and prepare for UB. Fortunately, I have mature players and they know how to let go and focus on the next assignment,” Shalobane said.