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Monhollon Wins Kiracofe
Suburban/SKS Finishes 4th, SKS 5th
Suburban/SKS Finishes 4th, SKS 5th
Kalamazoo, MI 7/12/09
Monhollon Softball defeated Plumbers and
Pipefitters of Lansing, Michigan to repeat as
the upper division Kiracofe Memorial
tournament champions.
Kiracofe is the longest running memorial
softball tournament in the nation, dating back to
1969, when Kalamazoo softball player Burley
Kiracofe, Jr. was killed in Vietnam. His family
started the memorial tournament and it is now
in its 41st year.
Suburban/SKS of Kalamazoo, a former winner
and always a favorite to win the Kiracofe,
started out winning the first two games before
losing to eventual champion Monhollon.
Suburban then battled through the losers
bracket to finish fourth, losing to Westside
Softball.
Street Kids/Suburban South of South Bend
lost the opening round game to Monhollon,
despite having the tying and winning run on
base in the bottom of the seventh with no outs.
They lost 25-24. They won the next two
games, beating Koval/Sea Brite 31-26 and
beating Suburban X, 14-12. They were set up
for a Sunday morning match up against
Westside Softball at 8am and were clearly not
ready, as they were defeated rather easily,
33-17. SKS finished fifth in the tournament.
Westside defeated Suburban/SKS in the next
game 18-13, then lost to Plumbers and
Pipefitters, who then lost to Monhollon in the
championship game.
A few bright spots for the Kids (66-22) include
the debut of two new players - Kyle Yerkes
and Scott Zaciewski - who provided a much
needed lift both offensively and with their high
spirited attitudes. Despite the finish, Yerkes
was very impressed with the talent on SKS.
"There is a lot of talent on this team," the
veteran infielder said. "Kalei, the middle
infielder, is one of the best I have ever seen. I
am looking forward to seeing how we can do
in the second half of 2009."
On a sour note, SKS did suffer a setback
when outfielder Joe Horvath injured himself
diving for a ball on Saturday afternoon. An
x-ray on Sunday revealed that Horvath broke
his second rib on the right side, just under the
collar bone. He is in pain, which the doctor
said will last for about a week, then because it
was such a clean break, it will heal rather
quickly and he should return to action in about
two to three weeks.
"I knew something was wrong when it still hurt
Sunday morning," said Horvath, who did not
play the final game on Sunday. "The doctor
said I have good strong bones and that will
allow for a quicker healing process. If all goes
well, I should be back by the first of August."
Horvath has battled injuries all year, including a
sore lower back that has kept him out of
several games and tournaments. He has missed
22 games so far this season with injuries.
In the lower division format, which featured the
most teams in the 51-team tournament, local
team Bonzai Softball battled back through the
losers bracket, winning eight games in a row
before finishing second to The Cross. Bonzai
played seven games on Sunday, beginning at
9:45am.
__________________________________
Monhollon Softball defeated Plumbers and
Pipefitters of Lansing, Michigan to repeat as
the upper division Kiracofe Memorial
tournament champions.
Kiracofe is the longest running memorial
softball tournament in the nation, dating back to
1969, when Kalamazoo softball player Burley
Kiracofe, Jr. was killed in Vietnam. His family
started the memorial tournament and it is now
in its 41st year.
Suburban/SKS of Kalamazoo, a former winner
and always a favorite to win the Kiracofe,
started out winning the first two games before
losing to eventual champion Monhollon.
Suburban then battled through the losers
bracket to finish fourth, losing to Westside
Softball.
Street Kids/Suburban South of South Bend
lost the opening round game to Monhollon,
despite having the tying and winning run on
base in the bottom of the seventh with no outs.
They lost 25-24. They won the next two
games, beating Koval/Sea Brite 31-26 and
beating Suburban X, 14-12. They were set up
for a Sunday morning match up against
Westside Softball at 8am and were clearly not
ready, as they were defeated rather easily,
33-17. SKS finished fifth in the tournament.
Westside defeated Suburban/SKS in the next
game 18-13, then lost to Plumbers and
Pipefitters, who then lost to Monhollon in the
championship game.
A few bright spots for the Kids (66-22) include
the debut of two new players - Kyle Yerkes
and Scott Zaciewski - who provided a much
needed lift both offensively and with their high
spirited attitudes. Despite the finish, Yerkes
was very impressed with the talent on SKS.
"There is a lot of talent on this team," the
veteran infielder said. "Kalei, the middle
infielder, is one of the best I have ever seen. I
am looking forward to seeing how we can do
in the second half of 2009."
On a sour note, SKS did suffer a setback
when outfielder Joe Horvath injured himself
diving for a ball on Saturday afternoon. An
x-ray on Sunday revealed that Horvath broke
his second rib on the right side, just under the
collar bone. He is in pain, which the doctor
said will last for about a week, then because it
was such a clean break, it will heal rather
quickly and he should return to action in about
two to three weeks.
"I knew something was wrong when it still hurt
Sunday morning," said Horvath, who did not
play the final game on Sunday. "The doctor
said I have good strong bones and that will
allow for a quicker healing process. If all goes
well, I should be back by the first of August."
Horvath has battled injuries all year, including a
sore lower back that has kept him out of
several games and tournaments. He has missed
22 games so far this season with injuries.
In the lower division format, which featured the
most teams in the 51-team tournament, local
team Bonzai Softball battled back through the
losers bracket, winning eight games in a row
before finishing second to The Cross. Bonzai
played seven games on Sunday, beginning at
9:45am.
__________________________________
Reggie Uribe, above, helped lead Bonzai Softball through eight straight
wins in the losers bracket in Kalamazoo, Michigan during the 41st annual
Kiracofe Memorial tournament this past weekend. Bonzai finished second
in the lower division.
wins in the losers bracket in Kalamazoo, Michigan during the 41st annual
Kiracofe Memorial tournament this past weekend. Bonzai finished second
in the lower division.
