Kalamazoo, MI 7/10/11
Some teams dream of having a season like this. The Street Kids
Softball team from South Bend, Indiana are experiencing it.
The Street Kids/Easton/Rover Plus Nine team won the 43rd Annual
Kiracofe Memorial tournament in Kalamazoo this past weekend,
going a perfect 5-0 in the three day event. After the first two games,
every game was a battle... lets get to the highlights!
The SKS team came to Kalamazoo having never won the Kiracofe -
the oldest ongoing memorial tournament in the nation - but finished
third the last two years. But they were coming in on a magical ride,
having won the last three tournaments in a row and six of the nine
they have played in. They opened the event against a tough Koval
Properties team on Friday night in one of the feature games.
Hundreds of people turned out to watch the two feature games (the
other was the hometown favorite Plumbers/Suburban team). Koval
put up five in the first, but the Kids answered back with six in the
second inning and seven in the third. Koval kept battling however,
and kept it close throughout. After four and half innings, Koval led
17-16, but SKS would open it up, scoring every inning and
eventually pulling away with a 28-17 win in seven innings.
Jeremy Hochstetler and red hot Jay Jeffery led the way with five hits
each, while Terry Patesel - playing in his hometown ball park -
added four hits as did Fred Schmucker.
The Kids were done for Friday night and returned to play at
11:45am against 22 Below Softball. 22 Below, a good C team from
middle Michigan, never really got going and Street Kids took
advantage right away, starting with 11 runs in the first inning. 22
Below put up three in the second, only to see SKS answer back
with seven more. This one would be called early due to the 12-run
mercy rule as SKS rolled to a 23-5 win. Joe Horvath - coming off
his MVP run in Topeka one week earlier - had four hits to lead
everyone, while Terry Patesel, Jay Jeffery, Scott Martin and Nick
Bishop all had three hits to help in the win.
With the win, SKS moved to the third round of the tournament,
which was played at 7:00pm on Saturday night. The match up this
time was with a powerful GTJ/Dukes team. Dukes, played very well
in this tournament and in this game, it would go down to the wire.
Both teams exchanged runs back and forth and heading into the
bottom of the seventh inning, both teams were tied at 18 each. The
Kids had no home runs to hit so they would have to manufacture a
run in order to win the game.
Terry Patesel led off with a sharp single, and Jeremy Hochstetler
came up big with a clutch double to left, putting the winning run at
third base with no one out. Joe Horvath was intentionally walked to
load the bases, hoping for a double play ball or at least a force at the
plate, and Leland Schmucker came to bat. Scott Martin came in as
the courtesy runner for Patesel at third to boost the speed. The Kids
needed a base hit or at least a deep fly ball to score the runner from
third. Schmucker lifted a fly ball to middle right field and the right
fielder came up firing after the catch. Martin came in full speed, made
an excellent slide and despite the balling beating the runner, Martin
avoided the tag and the Street Kids team won the game, 19-18.
It was a very close call, one that could have went either way. Several
people watching the game had mixed feelings on the call. The UIC
was watching from the press box and thought the call was right, but
even one SKS player who was standing behind the fence thought the
runner was out. Either way, Martin scored the winner and the Kids
advanced to the winners bracket finals on Sunday.
Sunday morning came and the big showdown was about to happen.
In 2010, Suburban Softball Club won the Kiracofe on their way to
winning several tourney's that year. In the offseason, Suburban and
Plumbers and Pipefitters merged to form one team:
Plumbers/Suburban, one of the most powerful teams in the Midwest.
Plumbers beat SKS in the only game they played in 2011 at the NIT
in Indianapolis. In that tourney, SKS battled all the way back to the
finals to face Plumbers again, but the championship game was rained
out. So it was time to match these two heavyweights up again at the
Kiracofe!
As expected, this game went back and forth. After one inning, SKS
led 5-2, highlighted by a big three run, two out home run by Leland
Schmucker. But Plumbers answered back in a huge way, scoring 10
runs, highlighted by three run home runs by Josh Onstott and Todd
Fairbanks, and a two-run shot by Pook Filkins. Street Kids battled
back again, this time scoring five in the fifth, four of them coming in a
key grand slam by Tim Austin.
Going into the bottom of the sixth inning, the game was tied at 17
each. The Kids had home runs to hit, but they did not want to use
them, as that would allow Plumbers to use their home runs, one of
the strongest parts of their game. In the bottom of the sixth, Nick
Bishop walked, but was forced out by Terry Patesel, who reached
on a fielders choice. Jeremy Hochstetler came through with yet
another clutch double, putting runners at second and third with only
one out and the red hot Joe Horvath up to bat. With no home runs to
hit, the Plumbers team was obviously hoping Horvath - who take a
full hard swing on every at bat - would blow one out, but instead
Horvath came through with a hugh two run double. Jay Jeffery then
came through with a big single to score Horvath and giving SKS a
20-17 lead going into the top of the seventh.
Brian Baker of Plumbers came into this at bat 4-for-4, but this time
he could not come through as he grounded out. Mike Ortiz was the
next batter and he continued to struggle against SKS making the
second out. He finished the game 1-for-5, highly unlike the very
talented outfielder is capable of playing. With two outs, Josh Onstott
recorded his fourth hit of the game with a double, and the next
batter, Chris Havens hit a sharp one hopper up the middle that
pitcher Faron Miller just missed. The next batter, a pinch hitter
(number 10) hit a clutch two run double. After a walk to Rocky
Smith, this allowed the tying run to come to the plate in the form of
Pook Filkins, who went to ASA Nationals with SKS last fall. With
no home runs to hit, Filkins was looking to drive the ball through the
hole on the left side. Instead the only hole he found was the grass on
the other side of the fence beyond left center, recording the final out
of the game, giving the Kids a thrilling 20-19 win.
With the victory, SKS had now reached the championship game for
an unbelievable 10th straight tournament. Regardless of the outcome
of the title game(s), this was indeed a remarkable accomplishment.
"I have played softball for a long time and with all due respect to
every team I have played on, won a world title with, and so on, this
is the best team I have ever been a part of," said pitcher Steve
Schroeder.
Joe Horvath said to the guys while awaiting the final game that this is
something to remember.
"To play in 10 tournaments and reach the final game every single time
is something you never forget," the veteran outfielder said. "We have
a great group of guys here and we are just warming up."
Before we could go any farther, though, there was still a
championship to decide in Kalamazoo. Plumbers beat GTJ/Dukes to
get back to the finals against SKS. This one would be another classic
match up!
Both teams were red hot to start, with SKS scoring five in the top of
the first, only to see Plumbers score six in the bottom of the first. The
Kids put up eight in the second, only to see Plumbers answer back
with six more in the second. Thats how this game was played, back
and forth. The Kids were leading the game heading into the bottom
of the sixth when Plumbers began to score to get back into the game.
They put up five runs to make it a 19-17 game, but Suburban had
the last at bat, so SKS needed some insurance runs. They got one in
the form of another clutch hit by Jeremy Hochstetler, and going into
the bottom of the seventh, SKS led 20-17, only three outs away
from their first ever Kiracofe title.
There would be no dramatic comebacks in this one though.
Plumbers went three up, three down and SKS won 20-17, giving
them their fourth straight tournament title, and seventh tourney win of
2011.
"We've probably had more talented teams in the past, but this year
its been awesome," said manager TJ Jorgensen to the Kalamazoo
Gazatte sports writer after the game. "We're having a magical
season, and it was nice to come out to Kalamazoo and win one of
the most respected tournaments in the country."
Joe Horvath was named MVP, while Nick Bishop, Terry Patesel,
Scott Martin, Jay Jeffery and Jeremy Hochstetler were all named to
the all-tournament team. Scott Martin was named defensive MVP
from the winning team. Tourney director Steve Wyle did not have an
award for this (usually the defensive MVP goes to the second place
team) but he wanted to recognize the defensive standout from both
the top two teams.
With the win, the Kids improved to 78-9 overall and 47-6 in
tournaments. They will return to league action on Tuesday in
Mishawaka.
Some teams dream of having a season like this. The Street Kids
Softball team from South Bend, Indiana are experiencing it.
The Street Kids/Easton/Rover Plus Nine team won the 43rd Annual
Kiracofe Memorial tournament in Kalamazoo this past weekend,
going a perfect 5-0 in the three day event. After the first two games,
every game was a battle... lets get to the highlights!
The SKS team came to Kalamazoo having never won the Kiracofe -
the oldest ongoing memorial tournament in the nation - but finished
third the last two years. But they were coming in on a magical ride,
having won the last three tournaments in a row and six of the nine
they have played in. They opened the event against a tough Koval
Properties team on Friday night in one of the feature games.
Hundreds of people turned out to watch the two feature games (the
other was the hometown favorite Plumbers/Suburban team). Koval
put up five in the first, but the Kids answered back with six in the
second inning and seven in the third. Koval kept battling however,
and kept it close throughout. After four and half innings, Koval led
17-16, but SKS would open it up, scoring every inning and
eventually pulling away with a 28-17 win in seven innings.
Jeremy Hochstetler and red hot Jay Jeffery led the way with five hits
each, while Terry Patesel - playing in his hometown ball park -
added four hits as did Fred Schmucker.
The Kids were done for Friday night and returned to play at
11:45am against 22 Below Softball. 22 Below, a good C team from
middle Michigan, never really got going and Street Kids took
advantage right away, starting with 11 runs in the first inning. 22
Below put up three in the second, only to see SKS answer back
with seven more. This one would be called early due to the 12-run
mercy rule as SKS rolled to a 23-5 win. Joe Horvath - coming off
his MVP run in Topeka one week earlier - had four hits to lead
everyone, while Terry Patesel, Jay Jeffery, Scott Martin and Nick
Bishop all had three hits to help in the win.
With the win, SKS moved to the third round of the tournament,
which was played at 7:00pm on Saturday night. The match up this
time was with a powerful GTJ/Dukes team. Dukes, played very well
in this tournament and in this game, it would go down to the wire.
Both teams exchanged runs back and forth and heading into the
bottom of the seventh inning, both teams were tied at 18 each. The
Kids had no home runs to hit so they would have to manufacture a
run in order to win the game.
Terry Patesel led off with a sharp single, and Jeremy Hochstetler
came up big with a clutch double to left, putting the winning run at
third base with no one out. Joe Horvath was intentionally walked to
load the bases, hoping for a double play ball or at least a force at the
plate, and Leland Schmucker came to bat. Scott Martin came in as
the courtesy runner for Patesel at third to boost the speed. The Kids
needed a base hit or at least a deep fly ball to score the runner from
third. Schmucker lifted a fly ball to middle right field and the right
fielder came up firing after the catch. Martin came in full speed, made
an excellent slide and despite the balling beating the runner, Martin
avoided the tag and the Street Kids team won the game, 19-18.
It was a very close call, one that could have went either way. Several
people watching the game had mixed feelings on the call. The UIC
was watching from the press box and thought the call was right, but
even one SKS player who was standing behind the fence thought the
runner was out. Either way, Martin scored the winner and the Kids
advanced to the winners bracket finals on Sunday.
Sunday morning came and the big showdown was about to happen.
In 2010, Suburban Softball Club won the Kiracofe on their way to
winning several tourney's that year. In the offseason, Suburban and
Plumbers and Pipefitters merged to form one team:
Plumbers/Suburban, one of the most powerful teams in the Midwest.
Plumbers beat SKS in the only game they played in 2011 at the NIT
in Indianapolis. In that tourney, SKS battled all the way back to the
finals to face Plumbers again, but the championship game was rained
out. So it was time to match these two heavyweights up again at the
Kiracofe!
As expected, this game went back and forth. After one inning, SKS
led 5-2, highlighted by a big three run, two out home run by Leland
Schmucker. But Plumbers answered back in a huge way, scoring 10
runs, highlighted by three run home runs by Josh Onstott and Todd
Fairbanks, and a two-run shot by Pook Filkins. Street Kids battled
back again, this time scoring five in the fifth, four of them coming in a
key grand slam by Tim Austin.
Going into the bottom of the sixth inning, the game was tied at 17
each. The Kids had home runs to hit, but they did not want to use
them, as that would allow Plumbers to use their home runs, one of
the strongest parts of their game. In the bottom of the sixth, Nick
Bishop walked, but was forced out by Terry Patesel, who reached
on a fielders choice. Jeremy Hochstetler came through with yet
another clutch double, putting runners at second and third with only
one out and the red hot Joe Horvath up to bat. With no home runs to
hit, the Plumbers team was obviously hoping Horvath - who take a
full hard swing on every at bat - would blow one out, but instead
Horvath came through with a hugh two run double. Jay Jeffery then
came through with a big single to score Horvath and giving SKS a
20-17 lead going into the top of the seventh.
Brian Baker of Plumbers came into this at bat 4-for-4, but this time
he could not come through as he grounded out. Mike Ortiz was the
next batter and he continued to struggle against SKS making the
second out. He finished the game 1-for-5, highly unlike the very
talented outfielder is capable of playing. With two outs, Josh Onstott
recorded his fourth hit of the game with a double, and the next
batter, Chris Havens hit a sharp one hopper up the middle that
pitcher Faron Miller just missed. The next batter, a pinch hitter
(number 10) hit a clutch two run double. After a walk to Rocky
Smith, this allowed the tying run to come to the plate in the form of
Pook Filkins, who went to ASA Nationals with SKS last fall. With
no home runs to hit, Filkins was looking to drive the ball through the
hole on the left side. Instead the only hole he found was the grass on
the other side of the fence beyond left center, recording the final out
of the game, giving the Kids a thrilling 20-19 win.
With the victory, SKS had now reached the championship game for
an unbelievable 10th straight tournament. Regardless of the outcome
of the title game(s), this was indeed a remarkable accomplishment.
"I have played softball for a long time and with all due respect to
every team I have played on, won a world title with, and so on, this
is the best team I have ever been a part of," said pitcher Steve
Schroeder.
Joe Horvath said to the guys while awaiting the final game that this is
something to remember.
"To play in 10 tournaments and reach the final game every single time
is something you never forget," the veteran outfielder said. "We have
a great group of guys here and we are just warming up."
Before we could go any farther, though, there was still a
championship to decide in Kalamazoo. Plumbers beat GTJ/Dukes to
get back to the finals against SKS. This one would be another classic
match up!
Both teams were red hot to start, with SKS scoring five in the top of
the first, only to see Plumbers score six in the bottom of the first. The
Kids put up eight in the second, only to see Plumbers answer back
with six more in the second. Thats how this game was played, back
and forth. The Kids were leading the game heading into the bottom
of the sixth when Plumbers began to score to get back into the game.
They put up five runs to make it a 19-17 game, but Suburban had
the last at bat, so SKS needed some insurance runs. They got one in
the form of another clutch hit by Jeremy Hochstetler, and going into
the bottom of the seventh, SKS led 20-17, only three outs away
from their first ever Kiracofe title.
There would be no dramatic comebacks in this one though.
Plumbers went three up, three down and SKS won 20-17, giving
them their fourth straight tournament title, and seventh tourney win of
2011.
"We've probably had more talented teams in the past, but this year
its been awesome," said manager TJ Jorgensen to the Kalamazoo
Gazatte sports writer after the game. "We're having a magical
season, and it was nice to come out to Kalamazoo and win one of
the most respected tournaments in the country."
Joe Horvath was named MVP, while Nick Bishop, Terry Patesel,
Scott Martin, Jay Jeffery and Jeremy Hochstetler were all named to
the all-tournament team. Scott Martin was named defensive MVP
from the winning team. Tourney director Steve Wyle did not have an
award for this (usually the defensive MVP goes to the second place
team) but he wanted to recognize the defensive standout from both
the top two teams.
With the win, the Kids improved to 78-9 overall and 47-6 in
tournaments. They will return to league action on Tuesday in
Mishawaka.