Triple Play Wins USSSA Men's Class E In Rockford

Fifteen Teams Participate At For4st Hills Diamonds On May 14th & 15th

ROCKFORD: Triple Play Sports from Rockford won the fifteen team USSSA Men's Class E national qualifier played at the Forest Hills Diamonds Complex in Rockford on May 14th & 15th with a perfect 5-0 record. The champions earned a paid berth to play at the Northern Illinois USSSA state Tournament plus $175.00 towards a Great Lakes Men's Class E Nationals in Waterloo, Iowa in September. The Bricklayers (7-3) from Rockford finished in second place earning a paid states berth plus $100.00 towards their National berth, with No Showz (2-2) from East Peoria taking home third place which included a paid state berth and High N Tight (5-2) from Rockford taking home fourth place which included $100.00 towards their 2005 USSSA Men's Class E Northern Illinois State berth.
Triple Play Sports opened their tournament action with a 16-8 win over Fatty's Pub in the first round of play on Saturday. Triple Play Sports improved to 2-0 with a Saturday afternoon win over Northern Illinois Optical by the final score of 8-3. Northern Illinois Optical advanced to this game by defeating High N Tight 8-7 in the first round of tournament action.
On Sunday Triple Play Sports met Guerilla Graffix and came away with a 12-8 win to move them into the game between the tournament's last two unbeaten teams. Guerilla Graffix made it to this game by winning two games on Saturday as they defeated Splitters 8-6 in the first round and Neighbors Bar & Grill 10-3 in the second round.
Triple Play Sports now took on No Showz in the undefeated game and showed everyone why they were the team to beat this weekend as they posted a 15-9 win up onto the bracket board to win the winner's bracket. No Showz made it to this game by receiving a first round bye before they beat the bricklayers 16-6 in the second round on Saturday. On Sunday No Showz stopped Maplehurst Farms 20-12 to advance into the winner's bracket championship game.
Now Triple Play Sports had to sit back a wait as the loser's bracket need to be played out to it's conclusion before they would know who would be their opponent in the title contest. When the dust from the loser's bracket finally settled back down onto the field of play it was the Bricklayers ball club as the team left standing.
Triple Play Sports and the Bricklayers went toe to toe and slugged it out in that title contest with Triple Play being one run better this afternoon winning 16-15 to claim the title.
The Bricklayers made it to the championship game buy opening play with a 14-4 win over Crush in the first round of action. The second round was not kind to the Bricklayers as they were handed a loss by the No Showz 16-6 to drop them into the loser's bracket. The Bricklayers lost to the J Bears 12-2 first before closing out their Saturday with a 15-1 win over Souse's Lounge.
On Sunday morning the Bricklayers continued their advance toward the championship game as they sent home Northern Illinois Optical first by a final score of 14-7. Crush was excused from this tournament next as they Bricklayers posted an 8-4 win up on the bracket board to advance again. Maplehurst Farms was the next team to be excused from the tournament at the hands of the Bricklayers after the Rockford ball club had posted a 7-5 win onto the bracket board. High N Tight left with fourth place after they were defeated by the Bricklayers 17-7. In the loser's bracket championship game the Bricklayers won again sending No Showz home with third place by berating them 10-8. The tournament's championship game was a hard pill to swallow for the Bricklayers after making their long run through the entire loser's bracket to get to the title game they were defeated by a single run 16-15 by Triple Play Sports and had to accept second place from this tournament in spite of their gallant run to get to the title game

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(L) Runner-up Bricklayers & (R) 3rd Place No Showz