Brew Dogs Win ISA Mens' Class D NIT

Seventeen Teams Particiapate At Melas Fields In Arlington Heights

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS: The Brew Dogs from Glen Ellen won the seventeen team I.S.A. Men's Class D N.I.T. held at Melas Fields in Arlington Heights on April 19th & 20th with a perfect 5-0 record. The champions earned a paid berth to play at the 2008 ISA Men's Class D World Tournament to be held in Polk County, FL starting on September 26th. They also took home a 2008 Illinois ISA paid state berth and team equipment. Tournament runner-up Caps / Fury (4-2) from Lombard earned a 2008 ISA Men's Class D paid state berth for their play in this event. TYW/US Cellular (5-2) finished in third place with Roger Dorn (3-2) taking home fourth place and both Precision (2-2) and the Wizards (3-2) finishing in a tie for fifth place.
The Brew Dogs were led to the title by the play of Amar Patel who was named as the tournament's MVP. Joining Patel on the All-Tournament team were his Brew Dog teammates: Bob Boye, Jack Dime, Eric Carlson, Ben Bonnell, and John Courtney.
The Brew Dogs opened play with a first round game against the Piehouse and they posted a narrow 8-7 win onto the bracket board to advance into the second round of play in the winner's bracket.
Brew Dogs got their bats warmed up for the second contest as they poured nineteen runs across the pay-station winning 19-9 over Shoeless Joe's sending the Glen based ball club into the semifinal of eth winner's bracket. Shoeless Joe's had defeated Impact Softball in a close game 10-9 in the first round of play to advance in this second round contest against the Brew Dogs.
In their third game on Saturday the Brew Dogs went toe to toe with TW/US Cellular and came away with an exciting 16-13 win to move into the winners bracket undefeated game to be played on Sunday morning. TW/US Cellular had win a play in game to get into the bracket defeating Team Elite 14-4 before stopping Hogan's Roofing from Crystal Lake 19-13 in the first round of play. In the second round it was TW / US Cellular sending Yep into the loser's bracket with a 17-10 victory earning TW / US Cellular a spot in a semifinal game against the Brew Dogs.
On Sunday the last two remaining unbeaten teams squared off with one another in the undefeated game and the Brew Dogs were in control over Caps Fury from the start to finish posting an 14-4 win onto the bracket board to become the only unbeaten team left in this tournament and with this win assuring them a spot in the tournaments championship game against whichever team emerges from the loser's bracket to challenge them in the title contest.
Now the Brew Dogs could only sit and watch as they waited out the conclusion of play to the loser's bracket and when that last out had been written down into the officials scorers book a rematch with Cap /Fury awaited them in the title game.
The final game was closer than the undefeated game but the Brew Dogs remained in control none the less winning 16-10 to complete their undefeated run to the title of this NIT.
Tournament runner up Caps / Fury was led to the NIT's title game by the defensive play of Jared Garza who was named 'Defensive Player of the Tournament'. Garza was joined on the 2008 ISA Men's Class D NIT All-Tournament team by his Cap / Fury teammates: Timmy Remus, Jose Gamboa, Frank Tuma, and Brad Jorgenson.
Caps / Fury opened play with a first round contest against HRC and they posted an impressive 17-7 win onto the bracket board to advance into the second round of play with a win under their belt.

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