The Weyburn Dairy Queen Blizzards ended the opening week of their season with a 5-4 loss to the Regina Fighting Saints in Weyburn on Monday.

The Saints scored three runs in the final inning and squelched any Blizzard comeback bid. Stefanie Giroux started the game on the mound and Brett Watson came in on relief.

Watson also contributed to the offence, hitting two RBIs on her single. Susan Bobbitt hit an RBI double. Giroux's three singles and Krista Prost's two singles rounded out the offence.

Red Deer is a long way to go for a tournament, but that's exactly where the Weyburn Blizzards went this weekend, to play through sun, rain, snow and sleet.

The first game of the tournament was a 10-3 win over the host Red Deer Sliders. Bobbitt went the distance on the mound, striking out eight batters. Defensive plays by Jaime Gilmore, Randi Biss and Danielle McLeod kept the opposition from adding runs.

The score was tied at one on an RBI single from Biss when the Blizzards exploded for nine runs. Megan Leach hit a triple, Jenna Unraw hit three singles, while Shelley Verbeurgt and Biss added two more singles each.

The cold and rain did not damper the Blizzards in their second game of the tournament, beating Cranbrook, B.C. 14-0. The game was called in the second inning because of the weather. The Blizzards scored 12 runs in that fateful second inning, 11 while there were two batters out. Giroux's grand slam and a three-run home run from Verbeurgt were highlights. Lynsey MacInnis drove in three runs on a triple and a single. Nicole Byrnes and Unraw also hit two singles each. Nicole Byrnes struck out three of the five batters she faced.

After the two round robin wins, the Blizzards were placed at the top of their pool. In their first playoff game, the Blizzards lost 6-2 to the Saskatoon Phantoms. The Phantoms used their last at-bats to score the winning four runs to earn the win. Bobbitt recorded four strikeouts, working with catcher Megan Leach. Bobbitt also added a double and a single. Giroux hit an RBI single. Leach and Gilmore also made the scoresheet with singles.

The Calgary Grasstains won the consolation final, beating Weyburn 8-4. The Calgary squad were on the bats early, scoring four runs on their first five batters. The Blizzards came back with two runs of their own in the first inning, but played from behind the entire game.

"Our team committed a few defensive fielding errors, but we had enough base runners," said coach Dave Unraw. "We just couldn't bring them in."

Shelly Verbeurgt hit one double and two singles. Susan Bobbitt drove in one run on a couple of singles. Gilmore also had an RBI single. Other singles came from MacInnis, Jenna Unraw, Gilmore, McLeod and Giroux. Byrnes and Bobbitt shared the pitching duties.

Weyburn's Dairy Queen Blizzards opened their league schedule on Thursday in Regina with a 5-5 saw-off against the Royals.

Down 2-0 in after the second inning, the Blizzards rallied back for the draw.

Upcoming tournaments which have been confirmed are in Brandon, Regina and the provincial tournament in North Battleford.

"I am pleased with how the team is performing at this point in the year," Unraw said. "We were definitely not out of place entering the tournament in Red Deer, but we know the areas that have to be worked on."

This year's roster includes Randi Biss, Susan Bobbitt, Nicole Byrnes, Jaime Gilmore, Stefanie Giroux, Megan Leach, Lynsey MacInnis, Danielle McLeod, Krista Prost. Jenna Unraw, Shelly Verbeurgt and Brett Watson. This year's coaching staff are Dave Unraw and Mike MacInnis. Greg Bobbitt is the team's manager.