Monday's Legend story from Woodstock S-R

[fastball]

Received: 6/5/06 8:23:13 AM 
From:  Darryl Smart <darrylsmart1(at)yahoo.ca> 
  
Subject:  Monday's Legend story from Woodstock S-R  
  

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Sun shines on Orillia
Orillia wins rain-shortened Legends of Fastball
tourney

By Cory Smith 
Sports reporter

The Woodstock Sentinel-Review — Perhaps the toughest
opponent any team faced during this weekend’s Legends
of Fastball Classic was one they couldn’t beat. 
Mother Nature wreaked havoc during the three-day
tournament, cutting short games, eliminating teams and
even changing the format from a three-day, round robin
and playoff setup to a one-day, single elimination
event. 

So, a day after Mother Nature had her say, the Orillia
Riversharks had theirs, pounding out three home runs
to win the tournament 7-0 over New York Patsy’s. 
"The committee adjusted very well to make the best out
of the situation," organizer Brad Janssen said prior
to Sunday’s championship at the Complex. "With the
co-operation of the teams, we wanted to make it the
best we could Sunday."

The Riversharks certainly did that, winning three
games on Sunday, including two in extra innings, to
wrap up the championship. 

Orillia used the long ball to clinch the title,
hitting three bombs off Patsy’s starting pitcher
Gerald Muizelaar. Ian Fehrman’s three-run homer into
the pond was the winning, and longest, hit. 
It was about the only water that was welcome during
the tournament, which was thrown into chaos after a
series of thunderstorms Friday night and Saturday. 
By the time play was suspended Saturday afternoon,
only seven of the 25 scheduled games had been played,
forcing organizers to come up with an alternative plan
for Sunday. 

The Innerkip Bright Cheese House Eagles and Midland
Explorers, who were both winless in the first two
days, were eliminated and the remaining eight teams
played on the final day. 

"We agonized over what we were going to do with it,"
organizer Larry Lynch said. "Talking to some of the
other coaches, they said: ‘What about a single
elimination?’ That’s a brain wave we didn’t have."
That meant the first two days of the tournament were
basically for naught, unless you were a member of the
Eagles or Explorers, who were victims of the
abbreviated round robin. 

"That’s the one thing about single knockout, you can’t
make any mistakes," Lynch said. "If you don’t make
that happen in the first game you go home."
The Eagles, who continued their string of
disappointing performances at their ‘hometown’
tourney, lost their first two games and were leading
their third in the bottom of the sixth against the
Jarvis Merchants before rain halted play. 
Their 0-2 record, which included losses against the
Riversharks and Elmira Cubs, sent them packing. 
"That’s why it’s so disappointing," Eagles shortstop
Mike Pullin said. "Everyone is here to watch. It’s
still early (in the season) yet, we’ll pick it up."
The loss against the Riversharks was not surprising,
but giving up a late two-run lead and losing in extra
innings to the Cubs, one of two intermediate teams in
the tournament, was the clincher. 

"They just plugged away," Pullin said. "They’re a good
team for ISC. 

"It’s just the little things that added up. It wasn’t
too bad. I’m sure we could have played better."

 

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