The Softball Indoor Championship 2023 took place in Enköping, Sweden on March 18-19. Participating and playing during the weekend were eight teams, divided into two groups. Group A consisted of Söder SR, Enköping, Falun, and Karlskoga, while group B consisted of Sundsvall, Finland, Söder JR, and Örebro.
In the semifinals, Enköping faced Söder JR, and Söder SR faced Sundsvall.
In the first semifinal, Enköping scored first at the top of the first inning. Söder JR then tied the game in the top of the second inning. Enköping then pulled away in the bottom of the third inning when 4 runs were scored. The game ends in the fifth inning after time has expired.
The final score was 5 - 1 to Enköping.
In the second semifinal, Söder SR gets its first run in the first inning. In the third inning, Söder SR took a steady hold and extended the lead by 3 more points. Sundsvall scores in the bottom of the third inning on a stolen base. At the top of the fourth, Söder SR takes another four points. Sundsvall does not manage to score any further points and the match ended 8 - 1 for Söder SR.
Bronze Medal game
In the bronze game, Sundsvall played against Söder JR. An exciting game that was decided in the 5th inning after the tie-break when the time for the game expired. At the top of the first, Söder JR scored the first run, Sundsvall tied at the bottom of the first and then scored two more runs. In the bottom of the second inning, Sundsvall extended its lead with one more point. But Söder JR grabbed their bats and managed to tie the game in the top of the fourth. When time ran out, it was time for the tie-break in the fifth inning. South JR managed to score a run in the top of the fifth and only needed to get three runs in the bottom to win. But when Sundsvall went up to hit, Söder JR failed to hold back, and Sundsvall scored twice to win the bronze medal.
The final score was 6 - 5 to Sundsvall.
Gold Medal game
The final was played as a regular game, with seven innings.
Enköping and Söder SR were both strong in their defensive play, so the first score didn't appear until the top of the fourth inning when Vilja Landin singled to center for a run. Enköping then tied the game in the bottom of the fourth inning after Janet Thorsén hit a nice shot, allowing Ellinor Wennerberg to run in to score. In the top of the fifth, Söder SR got its second run when Lina Lindholm hit a homerun between left and right field. In the top of the sixth, Söder SR scored its third run when Vilja once again hit a nice single to the outfield that allowed Julia Johansson to score. Enköping did not manage to make up the points, and the match ended 3 - 1 for Söder SR, who won the title of SIM champions 2023.
The tournament's final standings:
- Söder SR
- Enköping's Base and Softball Club
- Sundsvall Mosquitoes
- South JR
- Falun Ravens Softball / Suomen Baseball ja Softball liitto
- Karlskoga Bats Baseball & Softball / Örebro Eagles Softball Club
The individual awards presented for the tournament were Best Female Batter and Best Pitcher.
Best Batter SIM 2023 went to Söder SR's Lina Lindholm, who, among other things, ended the tournament with a home run in the final.
Best Pitcher SIM 2023 went to Söder SR's Emelie Eriksson, who finished the tournament with an ERA of 0.93.
/ Sanna Hermansson
