Yep! Softball Champions At USSSA D/E In St Charles

Nine Teams, One day Tournaemt At East Side Sports Complex On June 4th

ST CHARLES: Yep! Softball from Lombard went a perfect 4-0 to win the USSSA Men's Class D/E Equalizer Tournament in St Charles on June 4th over a field of nine teams. This was Yep! Softball second USSSA championship in a 2005 national qualifier so the 2005 Men's Class D National berth was passed down to tournament runner-up Plano Legion/Vineyard Liquors (4-2) from Plano. Kro-Hop (3-2) from St Charles finished in third place with St George's (2-2) from Aurora taking home fourth place from this event.
Yep! Softball opened play against Triple Play Sports and found themselves down 11-1 after four innings of play. With their backs to the wall Yep! Softball looked like they were toast as the first two hitters were retired. It was here that the Lombard ball club caught lighting in a bottle as they rattled off eight consecutive hits scoring five runs to narrow the gap to 11-6. Yep! Softball used the energy they had found hitting in the top of the fifth inning to shut down Triple Play Sports in the bottom of the fifth inning before exploding for six runs in the top of the sixth inning to take a 12-11 lead. Yep! Softball defense did the rest as they shut out Triple Play Sports in both the sixth and seventh inning to hang on for a 12-11 win their opening game of this tournament.
Yep! Softball came out with their game faces on in their second contest as they hammered Fubars with a twenty-one run first inning to put the game away from the start as they won 21-6 in four inning. This game was interrupted by a two hour rain delay as thunder storms rolled through the area. The St Charles Park District's ground crew deserves a big assist for having the fields back in shape ready to play one hour after the rains finally let up.
Now Yep! Softball and Kro-Hop were set to square off with each other in the undefeated game to decide which of these two teams would earn the right to play in the finals against whichever team would emerge from the loser's bracket to challenge that team in the championship game. That team turned out to be Yep! Softball as they defeated Kro-Hop 13-6 to win the winner's bracket of this tournament.
Now Yep! Softball had to sit and wait as the loser's bracket was played out to its conclusion and when it was finally over a match-up with Plano Legion/Vineyard Liquors awaited the Lombard squad in the championship game.
The title game was a defensive contest that saw Yep! Softball leading by the score of 4-3 entering the fifth inning. Yep! Softball put four runs on the scoreboard to take an 8-3 lead but Plano Legion/Vineyard Liquors answered in the top of the sixth inning with five runs to tie the game at eight runs each. In the seventh inning Plano Legion/Vineyard Liquors would take a one run lead 9-8 entering the bottom of the seventh inning. Yep! Softball was up to the task at hand as they pushed the tying and winning runs across the pay station in the bottom of the seventh inning to win the tournament undefeated after posting a 10-9 win onto the bracket board in the title game.
Yep! Softball having previously won a paid national berth converted the paid berth into sponsor travel money and passed the unpaid berth down to the tournament runner-up.
Yep! Softball team spokesperson Rob Atko said, "I would like to give mention to how well the Eastside Sports Complex hosted this tournament including how fast and efficient they handled getting the tournament back on track after the long rain delay. Great job Eastside!"
Plano Legion/Vineyard Liquors took the long a difficult road to the finals as they dropped their opening game to Kro-Hop 20-16. A nine run fourth inning by Kro-Hop was the difference in this ball game
The Plano based ball club now had to regroup quickly and get focused as a team on the goal at hand and that is exactly what they did. The first victim for Plano Legion/Vineyard Liquors was Juco Trash from Mc Henry who fell to the Plano squad by a final score of 18-8. Plano Legion/Vineyard Liquors was led at the plate during this win by the hitting of With Chad Murphy 4-4, as his teammates Mark Johnson, Chillo Corral, and John Abens all knocking in three runs apiece.
In a close game that was decided by a single run Plano Legion/Vineyard Liquors edged out Fubars 4-3 to continued their advancement toward the championship game. The Plano Legion/Vineyard Liquors ball club was led at the plate by Johnson 2-3 and Murphy who hit a Home Run and had all of Plano base ball clubs 4 RBI.
Plano Legion/Vineyard Liquors than sent St Georges Club packing their cars for the trip back home after beating them 10-5. Jack Corral (3B) was outstanding with his defense to lead his team while offensively Corral was 3-3, with Tim Murphy and C. Murphy both contributing multi hit games at the plate for the Plano Legion/Vineyard Liquors ball club during this win.
Sweet revenge was next up for Plano Legion/Vineyard Liquors as they got to eliminate the team that had put them into the loser's bracket in their very first game of this tournament, Kro-Hop by a final score of 20-6. This win gave Plano Legion/Vineyard Liquors the loser's bracket championship earning them the right to plan Yep! Softball in the tournament's championship game. Plano Legion/Vineyard Liquors bats were alive during this game as they pounded out twenty-five hits while cross the pay-station twenty times as C. Murphy and Abens led the way with four hits each during this win.
Plano Legion/Vineyard Liquors needing to double dip Yep! Softball gave in their best shot but could not finish off their Lombard based opponent losing by a single run in the bottom of the ninth inning 10-9 to finish in second place but they left with the 2005 USSSA Men's Class D National berth that they came to play for. Randy Torkelson led the way with three hits, and C. Murphy added 3 RBI. The Plano ball club had taken a one run lead in the top of the ninth inning only to watch Yep! Softball score twice in the bottom of the ninth to win the tournament.