#18 Ashland, OH Merchants and #20 Marshall, MI Rice Creek Lightning headline the ISC II field this weekend at Brookside Park in Ashland, Ohio which also features ISC #23 Ashland Mets, ISC #24 Benton Harbour, MI Plannger’s Furniture & ISC #26 Elkland, PA Fastpitch. Dunkirk, NY Falcons round out the six-team tournament.
Games start Saturday at 9:30 am with the champioship scheduled for 2 pm Sunday.
MAFTL records heading into Sunday’s playoff round:
1. #10 South Lebanon 4-0
2. #14 Keating’s 3-1
3. Sports Club 3-1
4. #17 PA Power 3-1
5. #7 Hoffman- Rise 2-2
6. Peninsula Merchants 2-2
Sunday Playoffs
9:00 Game 1 Sports Club vs Peninsula Merchants
9:00 Game 2 PA Power vs Hoffman-Rise
11:00 Game 3 South Lebanon vs winner game 1
11:00 Game 4 Keating’s vs winner game 2
1:00 Game 3 vs Game 4 winners
1st round playoffs
#7 Rise 10
#17 PA Power 1
WP-Vogel LP- Stokes
Pennisula Merchants 4
Sports Club 2
WP- B. Hillhouse LP-Chuck Smith
2nd Rd
#14 Keatings 6
#7 Rise 0
WP- Fawcett LP- Devoe
#10 South Lebanon 4
Pennisula Merchants 0
WP- Tracey LP- B. Hillhouse
Finals
#10 South Lebanon 8
#14 Keatings 2
WP- Tracey LP- Hertzler
Mike Rohrer hits 3 run HR of Fawcett in 5th to break open game.
South Lebanon goes 6-0 on weekend while Keatings bounces back with a 4-2 record for the weekend.
From: 
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The Michigan Twisters have been on a bit of a role with their third straight tournament victory in the past three weeks. We have won the Midland Memorial Tournament, The Midland Explores Boulavard Tournament (A-Division) and this weekend winning the Petosky B/C Tournament (June 15th,16th,17th). First game defeated Bases Loaded Trophy Case 8-3 winning pitcher Rick Engle. Defeating The Blues Softball Club 10-7 winning pitcher was Lane Bender.
Defeated Frankenmuth Tiffany’s 5-3 winning pitcher Rick Engle. Defeating The Blues Softball Club in the Championship 2-1 winning pitcher Lane Bender. Next weekend (June 23rd the Twisters will be participating in a 4 team round-robin playing first the Midland Explorers, Jarvis and St. Thomas at Emerson Park in Midland Michigan. Will e-mail the results to you. Thank you.From: Eric Brandt
Ken Zulski Memorial Invitational
Petoskey, Michigan
June 15-17, 2007
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Final Results & Bracket
Order of Finish:
1. Michigan Twisters – Roscommon – 4-0
2. Blues Softball – Hastings – 4-2
3. Tiffany’s – Frankenmuth – 2-2
4. CommuniQuest – Midland – 2-2
5. BASES / Trophy Case – Petoskey – 1-2
5. Auburn Buzz – Auburn – 1-2
7. Lumber Company – Zeeland – 0-2
7. M-46ers – Hemlock – 0-2
Individual Awards:
Outstanding Pitcher – Rick Engle – Twisters (2-0 record, 14 IP, 5 R’s, 20 K’s, 2 BB’s)
Outstanding Hitter – Shawn Davis – Blues (8-16, .500 avg, 3 HR’s & 3 2B’s, 1.125 slugging percentage)
Outstanding Outfielder – John Brandel – Twisters (5-11, .455 avg, solid defense in left)
Outstanding Infielder – Jared Nichols – Blues (catcher, 6-17, .353 avg, solid defense)
Game Results:
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June 15, 2007 – Top finishes at the highly regarded Snapper Shootout and the Mitchell tournaments vaulted Elora Wellington Brewers from 10th into a tie for second in the June 15 ISC II rankings. Elora finished in a dead heat with the 2005 ISC II Champion Elmira Cubs, who dropped the championship game to the Brewers in Mitchell, on the heels of a strong showing at the Woodstock Legends tournament.
Remaining atop the rankings for the second straight period are the Niagara Snappers. Making his highly anticipated debut in Snapper black & white at the Shootout was ISC II strikeout king Corey Costello and he didn’t disappoint, leading the Snappers to the final game against Elora before it was rained out.
Moving up two spots to #4 are the California LumberKings, who have been giving fits to top-ranked ISC teams all season long. Rounding out the top five are the defending champion Tavistock Merchants who have played well, but haven’t been able to put it all together just yet.
A total of 35 teams from across North America received at least one vote from the panel of 12 rankers.
The top 10 are as follows:
1. Niagara, ON Snappers
2. Elora, ON Wellington Brewers
2. Elmira, ON Cubs
4. Bakersfield, CA Lumberkings
5. Tavistock, ON Merchants
6. Palermo, ON Athletics
7. Perkasie, PA Rise
8. Oswego, NY Cutro Professional Inspections
9. Ottawa, ON Team Easton Thunder
10. South Lebanon, PA TNT
To see the full list, including how each committee member ranked the teams, please see the ISC II section of the ISC website.
The rankings will form the basis for seeding teams in the sixth annual ISC II Tournament of Champions which will be played August 14-18 at Budd Park in Kitchener and Kinsmen Park in Cambridge, Ontario. The tournament will feature 35 teams from across North America playing a four-game round robin schedule in seven pools of five teams each. The top three teams from each pool along with three wildcards will advance to a single elimination playoff bracket.
For more information, please contact:
Blair Setford
ISC II Commissioner
Email: blairjs(at)rogers.com
From the U.S. State Department
Travel Accomodation Announced June 8, 2007
The U.S. Departments of State and Homeland Security announced Friday, June 8th that U.S. citizens traveling to Canada, Mexico, Bermuda or countries in the Caribbean region, who have applied for, but not yet received passports, can re-enter the United States by air. This accommodation does not mean that Americans are exempt from meeting the entry requirements of Canada, Mexico, Bermuda or countries in the Caribbean region. Entry requirements for those countries remain in effect. Americans traveling to those countries must verify the specific entry requirements for that country before departure.
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From the KW Record
CHRISTINE RIVET
KITCHENER (Jun 13, 2007)
In case you haven’t already heard, Waterloo Region is the centre of the fastball universe.
This, from promoter Duncan Matheson who — along with his volunteer army of fastball foot soldiers — will bring the men’s world club team championships to Kitchener for the second straight year.
“You got so many people around here that are fastball nuts. They put so much into the game because they love the game,” Matheson said at yesterday’s news conference which kicked off a season that will conclude with the International Softball Congress world tournament in Kitchener from Aug. 10-18.
For Halifax native Mark Smith, the head coach of the Canadian senior men’s fastball team, this area’s fastball talent, proximity to Toronto’s airport, world-class facilities and hospitality are hard to beat.
“All fastball roads lead you here,” said Smith, in town with the national team this week for a test series against the three-time defending world champs from New Zealand.
The Kiwis warmed up for that series last night in Tavistock, handing the Kitchener Hallman Twins a 13-3 defeat in the opening game of a doubleheader.
This summer, the ISC worlds, the granddaddy of senior men’s club team tournaments, will be held at Kitchener’s Peter Hallman Ball Yard for the third time in six years.
The ISCs also include an intermediate men’s competition (the Tournament of Champions) to be played in Kitchener and Cambridge, a youth tournament and a skills clinic.
Waterloo Region and area boasts a season piled high with premier fastball events, organizers said, including the recently-completed Legends of Fastball Classic in Woodstock.
New Zealand national team infielder Jarrad Martin knows first-hand how much this sport matters to local fans.
While wearing the uniform of the two-time ISC champion County Materials of Marathon, Wis., last summer, he felt the wrath of local spectators at the Hallman Ball Yards.
“Last year, we (County) weren’t on the best side of the fans at a lot of times. We had to deal with the adversity and the hostile crowds. But the sport has a great following here,” said Martin, 34, an electrician from New Plymouth, New Zealand
Named the 2006 ISCs most valuable player, Martin will make a return trip to Kitchener in August, for the 2007 ISC worlds, as a member of the Broken Bow Gremlins of Albany, N.Y.
Smith, who has repeatedly brought Team Canada to Kitchener for training camps, will also guide Nova Scotia’s under-19 girls squad to Kitchener-Waterloo next month to train.
ISC world tourney organizers said that more than 50,000 fans are expected to watch the nine-day tournaments in Kitchener and Cambridge. About $7 million will be injected into the local economy, they said.
Some 600 volunteers will devote 14,000 hours to hosting the ISC worlds and Tournament of Champions.
“It’s fastball fever. People are going crazy about the game,” said Matheson, the 2007 ISC tourney’s chair.
At last year’s ISC worlds, 47,000 fans attended. The tourney netted a profit of $82,000, shared with seven local non-profit groups.
crivet@therecord.com
FASTBALL FRENZY
Area fastball events scheduled this season include:
June 14-16 — Test series, New Zealand vs. Canada; Orillia’s Tudhope Park (Thursday), Sebringville’s Community Park (Friday) and Kitchener’s Peter Hallman Ball Yard (Saturday, 6 and 8 p.m.).
June 28 to July 1 — World Fastball Invitational, Monkton, Ont., featuring the world’s seven top-ranked club teams.
Aug. 10-18 — ISC World Tournament, Kitchener’s Peter Hallman Ball Yard.
Aug. 14-18 — ISC II Tournament of Champions, Kitchener’s Budd Park and Cambridge’s Riverside Park.
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ISC II Tournament of Champions
August 14-18, 2007
Budd Park and Riverside Park
Kitchener and Cambridge, Ontario, Canada
from Kyle Beane
A Division Results
Game 1 – A Division
Mickeys 8, UpToDate 0 (5 innings)
WP – Eric Wilson (5K), LP – Mike Spagnoulo (5K)
Mickeys – Blalock (2) HR. UTD – Tim Roberts had only hit
Game 3 – A Division
Twisters 9, Kelders 2 (5 innings)
WP – Rick Engle (6K), LP – Brian Whitman (12K)
Twisters – Freed, Brandt, Rutledge each with 2 hits. Kelders – Schneider with 2 hits.
Game 7 – A Division
DeLau 8, Duncan 1 (5 innings)
WP – Bryan Boyd (5K), LP – Layne Bender (6K)
DeLau – Beebe with grand slam HR and 6 RBI.
Game 9 – A Division
Kelders 7, Mickeys 4
WP – Price (4K), LP – Wright (3K)
Kelders – Bialochowski with 3 hits. Stankowski (HR) and Houseman each with 2 hits.
Mickeys – Way with 2 hits. Blalock with a 2-run HR.
Game 10 – A Division
DeLau – 4, Twisters 1
WP – J. Graf (9K), LP – S. Wilson (7K)
DeLau – Wright 3×4. Kucharczyk and Hodges each with 2 hits. Hurst with a 3-run HR.
Twisters – Faccio with an RBI single.
Game 12 – A Division
Duncan 7, UpToDate 0
WP – S. Kelly (6K), LP – D. Lach (1K)
Duncan – Gaugler, Smart, Foor each with 2 hits.
UpToDate – Lach and Krager each with a single.
Game 15 – A Division
Duncan 12, Twisters 9 (8 innings)
WP – Hodge (3K), LP – S. Wilson (3K) in relief of Engle.
Duncan – Hodge 4×4 with HR. S. Kelly with HR. Foor with game winning double in bottom of the 8th.
Twisters – Freed 3×4. Brandt 2 doubles. Faccio and Thurston with HRs.
Game 17 – A Division
DeLau 4, Mickeys 3
WP – Boyd (7K), LP – E. Wilson (5K)
DeLau – Fulmer and Kucharczyk each with 2 hits. Boyd 3×3.
Mickeys – Beech – HR and 2 RBI.
Game 18 – A Division
Kelders 4, UpToDate 1
WP – Price (4K), LP – Spagnoulo (1K)
Kelders – Heemstra and Houseman each with 2 hits. Stankowski with 2 RBI.
UpToDate – Craig Histed with 2 hits. Ken Benson with RBI single.
Game 19 – A Division
Kelders 15, DeLau 0 (3 innings)
WP – Whitman (8K), LP – Wright
Kelders – 10 walks. Corcoran, Whitman, Price and Tuka each with 2 RBI.
Game 20 – A Division
Duncan 7, Mickeys 4
WP – Layne Bender (8K), LP – Wright (8K)
Duncan – Smart and Foor each with 3 hits. Huppert and Atkins each with 2 hits. Walker with a grand slam HR.
Mickeys – Beech with a HR.
Game 24 – A Division
Twisters 5, UpToDate 0
WP – Nichols (10K), LP – Lach (7K)
Twisters – Freed 2×4, 2 RBI. Epple 2×4. Faccio 2×4. B. Brandel 2×3.
A Division Standings
Kelders 3-1
Duncan 3-1
DeLau 3-1
Twisters 2-2
Mickeys 1-3
UpToDate 0-4
Game 26 – A Division Semi-Final
Duncan 9, DeLau 4
Game 27 – A Division Semi-Final
Twisters over Kelders
Game 28 – A Division Championship
Twisters 8, Duncan 7 (8 innings)
WP – Nichols, LP – Hodge
Twisters – Faccio with 2 RBI and John Brandel with 2 hits.
Duncan – Gaugler, Cobb, Foor, and Brown (HR) each with 2 hits.
Twisters were down 7-5 in the 7th, but a with a runner on 1st, Guy Thurston hit a triple to drive in 1 and scored on an overthrow to tie the game. A John Brandel sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 8th scored the winning run.
A Division – 1st Place – Michigan Twisters. 2nd Place – Duncan Outlaws
Most Valuable Pitcher – Ryan Nichols – Twisters – 3 wins including championship game.
Most Valuable Hitter – Craig Foor – Duncan – 12×19, 1 HR.
from Steve Bedard
#9 Ottawa Team Easton wins the Jim Bradford Classic 6-5 over the Peterboro Pros
There were some upsets during the Grafton Jim Bradford Classic this past weekend which turned into being a great weekend. We were expecting a big storm to hit us Friday night however only about 20 minutes of rain delayed the games for about 15 minutes.
Friday
7pm Peterboro Pros 3
Napanee Express Jrs 2
WP Wayne Wells
LPJordan MacDonald
9pm Oshawa BB’s 10
Peterborough Cavanaugh Disposals 9
WP Brian Mather
LP Jaime
9pm Napanee Express 8
Ottawa Valley Raiders 4
WP Tim Keller
LP Derrick Billey
Saturday
9am Peterboro Pros 9
Peterborough Hitman 5
WP Wayne Wells
LP Ryan McCue
9am Elkland PA 9
Napanee Express Midgets 2
WP Greg Garrity
LP Kyle Arsenault
11am Napanee Express Midgets 11
Peterborough Cav Disposals 2
WP Luke Leahy
LP Darren Zack
Carp I4C Victory 4
Oshawa BB’s 3
WP Neil Cooke
LP Nolan Fife
Peterborough Hitman 4
Ottawa Valley Raiders 1
WP Ryan McCue
LP Derrick Bully
1pm Elkland PA 14
Oshawa BB’s 3
WP Greg Garrity
LP Brian Mather
Ottawa Team Easton 7
Napanee Express Jrs 4
WP Dan Bradley
LP Jordan MacDonald
3pm Peterboro Pros 3
Ottawa Easton 0
WP Bryan Brooks
LP Jeff Murphy
CarpI4C Victory 6
Napanee Express Midgets 5
WP Darren Featherstone
LP Nick Brooks
5pm Peterborough Cav Disp 1
CarpI4C Victory 0
WP Darren Zack
LP Neil Cooke
Napanee Express Jrs 12
Peterborough Hitman 2
WP Tim Keller
LP Ryan McCue
7pm Peterboro Pros 7
Ottawa Valley Raiders 1
WP Matt Leahy
LP Derrick Bully
Napanee Express Midgets 4
Oshawa BB’s 3
WP Kyle Arsenault
LP Alex McNab
9pm Elkland PA 1
Peterborough Cav Disp 0
WP Greg Garrity
LP Ian Knott
Ottawa Team Easton 1
Peterborough Hitman 0
WP Dan Konkle
LP Brad Meldrum
Sunday
11am Elkland PA 5
Carp I4C Victory 2
WP Greg Garrity
LP Chad Hargrove
Ottawa Tean Easton 7
Ottawa Valley Raiders 3
WP Dan Bradley
LPMatt Greer
Semi’s 1.30
Peterboro Pros 2
Carp I4C Victory 0
WP Wayne Wells
LP Neil Cooke
Ottawa Team Easton 10
Elkland PA 5
WP Dan Konkle
LP Greg Garrity
Final 3.30 Ottawa Team Easton 6
Peterboro Pros 5
WP Jeff Murphy
LP Wayne Wells
Late Saturday:
Game 21-Kelso Fastpitch 2, Nokomis 1 (Nokomis out, 1-3)
Game 22-#18 Black Gold 3, Stallions 2 (Stallions out, 1-2)
Sunday morning:
Game 23- Kelso Fastpitch 4, #18 Black Gold 0 (Black Gold out, 2-3)
Game 24-Brandt’s 5, Elkville 2 (Elkville out, 2-2)
Game 25- Bloomington Stix 4, Kelso Fastpitch 0 (Kelso Fastpitch out, 3-2)
Game 26-Brandt’s 1, T’town Bud Select 0 (T’town out, 2-2)
Gamer 28-Vandalia 1, Pete’s Blues/PK Broward 0
Game 27-Bloomington Stix 10, Brandt’s 0 (Brandts 4th, 4-2)
Game 29- lBloomington Stix 3, Pete’s Blues PK Broward 0 (Pete’s/PK Broward 3rd, 3-2)
Game 30-Vandalia vs. Bloomington Stix
Game 31-If needed, 4:30
From Al’s Fastball
Mitchell Mets Sunday results
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Mitchell, ON
The #10 Elora Wellington Brewers went undefeated – a 3-0 round-robin record coupled with a perfect 3-0 record when it counted Sunday in the single-elimination playoffs – to win top honours at the 17th annual Mitchell Mets invitational fastball tournament Sunday, June 10.
Earning a first-round bye thanks to their 3-0 mark in divisional play, Wellington doubled #14 Bridgeport Braves 4-2 before blanking #25 Glencoe Astros 6-0 to earn a berth in the sudden-death final. In the final, the Brewers exploded for four runs in the fifth to crack open a 3-1 lead and defeat the #4 Elmira Cubs 7-2 for the championship.
Ryan Diljee homered to kick-start the four-run outburst, as the Brewers rode the right arm of Todd Uhrig to claim the title.
Elmira Cubs also went 3-0 in pool play, then dumped #2 Tavistock Merchants 10-6 and fought back to edge #13 Kitchener Outlaws 7-6 to earn a berth in the final.
Other Sunday results were as follows:
Glencoe 2, Ingersoll 1 (9-innings)
Bridgeport 5, #11 Port Elgin Blue Devils 0
Tavistock 9, #17 Harriston Mercury’s 2
Elmira Jrs. 7, Shakespeare Falcons 1
Glencoe 4, #22 Mitchell Mets 3
Elmira Cubs 10, Tavistock 6
Wellington 4, Bridgeport 2
Kitchener 10, Elmira Jrs 4
Wellington 6, Glencoe 0
Elmira Cubs 7, Kitchener 6
Final – Wellington 7, Elmira Cubs 2
Andy Bader
abader@bowesnet.com