Yep! Softball Wins USSSA Class D N.I.T.

Eleven Teams Particpate At Columbus, Indiana On June 30th

COLUMBUS, IN: Yep! Softball out of Burbank, Illinois, won the 2007 Legends NIT championship in Columbus, Indiana on June 30th by winning three straight games after dropping the winners bracket finals to Community Cab from Cincinnati Ohio. In doing so, Yep! Softball secured a bid to the 2007 USSSA World Tournament in Sterling Heights, Michigan for the third straight year. Community Cab (4-2) took home second place with Dizzy Rosters (3-2) from Louisville, Kentucky finishing in third place and Two-N-Out.com (2-2) from Florence, Kentucky taking home fourth place.
Yep! Softball started their day off by winning a close one versus Justin Howard Enterprises, Indiana by the final score of 5-3 in extra innings. Great pitching by Jim Pedigo and stellar defense by Jeff Kunz made up for the early cold bats.
In the second round of play Yep! Softball met a tough Two-N-Out.com ball club and came away with their second win in as many tries by a final score of 6-5. In this game again, the bats were cold, so Yep! Softball had to rely on its team defense as Matt Flood, Jason Becker and Tim Flannigan plug all the hitting holes in the infield to keep their team in the winner's bracket.
Unfortunately for Yep! Softball in its third game of the day, they gave away a lead in the seventh inning to fall to Community Cab in the winner's bracket undefeated game. Yep! Softball was 10-6 in the 7th inning when their Ohio based opponent could do nothing wrong rallying to win 11-10 dropping Yep! Softball into the loser's bracket championship game.
Yep! Softball had to take on one of the top USSSA Men's Class D teams from Kentucky, the Dizzy Roosters, who had been rolling through the loser's bracket. Yep! Softball came out firing with their bats early in this game thanks to Steve Rozak, Rick Arnold and Bill Flood. Also contributing was Brett Flood and Ryan Flood. Yep! Softball finished off the Roosters by a score of 10-4 to earn a second chance to Community Cab and the tournament title.
Now needing two straight wins over Community Cab. Yep! Softball went to work as the evened the tournament at one loss each after defeating the team that had put them into the loser's bracket earlier in the day stopping Community Cab by a final score of 11- 9 in the first game of the finals. Rob Atko was huge with his bat during this game as he supplied the offense in this win for Yep! Softball.
Now the 'if necessary game' had to be played between these two squads with the winner claiming not only the tournament title but a paid berth to play at the 2007 USSSA Men's Class D World Tournament and the sponsor travel money that goes with that world tournament berth. It all came down to one game, 9:00 PM, winner take all, after a long day of softball. Both teams in the finals were suffering from cramps and injuries. Yep! Softball came out swinging, putting up seven runs in the first inning. This proved to be a crushing blow to Community Cab. Community Cab put up one run in the first, while Yep! Softball came back in the second to put up three more run to stretch their lead to 10-1. This proved to be the blow that broke the backs of Community Cab as Yep! Softball won by the run rule winning by a final score of 15-3 in five innings.
Yep! Softball was awarded $125 cash and $600 travel money for Worlds, which will be held in Sterling Heights, Michigan in September. Yep! Softball accepted the World tournament berth and will be attending representing the state of Illinois.
Money (0-2) from Orland Park was the only other Illinois team playing in this event and they dropped two one run ball games including a loss to tournament runner-up Community Cab 13-12 in the first round of play to finish in a tie for ninth place tie at this eleven team event.