Below is the schedule for the Gil Read Memorial Tournament in Ottawa at Carlington Park. A berth in the 2009 ISC II Tournament of Champions is available to the winner.

Friday June 19
7:00 pm Gm 3 Quyon COMBAT Flyers vs Ottawa Blitz Main diamond
9:00 pm Gm 1 Fitzroy Harbour West Carlton Electric vs Stittsville 56ers Main

Saturday June 20
9:00 am Gm 4 Roebuck Intermediates vs Carp I4C Victory Main
11:00 am Gm 2 Ottawa Team Easton vs Napanee Express Midgets Main
12:00 pm Gm 7 Loser Gm 4 vs Loser Gm 1 Second diamond
1:00 pm Gm 5 Team Quebec vs Winner Gm 1 Main
2:00 pm Gm 6 Loser Gm 2 vs Loser Gm 3 Second
3:00 pm Gm 10 Winner Gm 3 vs Winner Gm 4 Main
5:00 pm Gm 9 Winner Gm 2 vs Winner Gm 5 Main
7:00 pm Gm 8 Winner Gm 6 vs Loser Gm 5 Main
7:00 pm Gm 11 Winner Gm 7 vs Loser Gm 10 Second
9:00 pm Gm 13 Winner Gm 9 vs Winner Gm 10 Main

Sunday June 21
9:00 am Gm 12 Winner Gm 8 vs Loser Gm 9 Main
11:00 am Gm 14 Winner Gm 11 vs Winner Gm 12 Main
1:00 pm Gm 15 Winner Gm 14 vs Loser Gm 13 Main
3:00 pm Gm 16 Winner Gm 13 vs Winner Gm 15 Main
5:00 pm if necessary Main

View Larger Map

Courtesy Southeast Missourian
Click link to read the story

Decatur Pride’s David Boys touches home plate before the tag by Nokomis catcher Jeremy Beasley during the fourth inning of the championship game Sunday at the Kelso Klassic in Kelso, Mo. Photo by Fred Lynch

Decatur Pride’s Cole Koester is congratulated by teammate Rick Minton after hitting an inside-the-park home run against Nokomis during the fourth inning of the championship game. Photo by Fred Lynch

Monday, June 15, 2009 ~ Updated 12:17 AM
By Marty Mishow ~ Southeast Missourian

KELSO — The combination of a talent-rich tournament favorite and a bone-tired opponent made for a lopsided Kelso Klassic final.

The Decatur (Ill.) Pride swept to the championship in the 25th annual men’s fastpitch softball event.

Decatur went 5-0 in the 14-team tournament, capped by Sunday’s 8-0, five-inning run-rule victory over Nokomis (Ill.) Bud Light for the title.

“We played well and scored a lot of runs,” winning pitcher Brent Stevenson said.

Nokomis dropped its tournament opener Saturday morning, which made for a grueling weekend.

Bud Light continually staved off elimination with six straight wins, including four Sunday before running into the Pride’s buzz saw.

“They played a great tournament,” Stevenson said. “To come back out of the losers bracket, they showed a lot of courage. You have to tip your cap to them.”

The Pride were a national fastpitch power, winning several national titles, before disbanding in 2001. They started up a squad again this year, and were making their first Kelso Klassic appearance as a unit.

“A lot of our guys have been here before with different teams,” Stevenson said. “It’s a good, competitive tournament.”

Rick Heuring, assistant tournament director who founded the event 25 years ago, didn’t hesitate in rating the Pride pre-tourney favorites after scanning their roster.

“They turned out to be everything we thought they would be,” Heuring said. “They’re an outstanding team.”

Led by several outstanding pitchers, including New Zealand natives Stevenson and Jeremy Manley.

Manley, named the tournament’s most valuable pitcher, went 3-0 with two runs allowed and 36 strikeouts in 17 innings.

“It was an enjoyable weekend,” Manley said.

Manley, regarded among the nation’s top pitchers, is not a regular member of the Pride, but “they had some injuries so I just helped them out.”

The veteran Stevenson, also among the nation’s premier hurlers, was a mainstay on some of the Pride’s previous top squads.

Stevenson, who notched Decatur’s other two tournament wins by allowing just one run, fired a two-hitter and struck out five in Sunday’s championship.

David Boys got the Pride started with a two-run homer in the second inning. A six-run fourth inning highlighted by three home runs — from Greg Morganthaler, Cole Koester and Blake Martin — punctuated the romp.

The rest of the tournament was not nearly as easy for the Pride.

It started routinely enough with a pair of 5-1 wins, before Decatur snuck past Pete’s Blues of Mascoutah, Ill., 1-0 in nine innings.

Decatur began Sunday with a 2-1 victory over Black Gold of Hermann, Mo., in the winners bracket final to advance to the title round.

Nokomis completed its trek through the losers bracket with a 5-3 win over Black Gold, before Decatur ended Bud Light’s impressive run.

“We had another great tournament,” Heuring said.

Casey Spears of Nokomis was the most valuable player after setting a tournament record with 15 hits. He batted .577 with 10 runs scored and four RBIs.

The only local entry, host Kelso Fastpitch, went 1-2. The team lost to Decatur 5-1, beat Elkville (Ill.) 8-6 and was eliminated by Nokomis 4-3.

Tournament scoreboard after the jump
Read the rest of this entry »

No Sunday scores yet (watch this space), but we do have this link to some photos from the 25th Kelso Klassic, courtesy of the Southeast Missourian.


Decatur Pride defeats Nokomis Bud Light 8-0 June 14 in the Kelso Klassic fast pitch softball tournament at Kelso, Mo.

And, after the jump, a nice preview story from the Du Quoin Evening Call
Read the rest of this entry »

From Jeffery Profitt, Illinois forum

Friday night at the Kelso Klassic:
Decatur Pride 5, Kelso Fastpitch 1
Elkville 1, Belleville Stallions 0
Black Gold 10, Teutopolis KC 1
KC/Lee’s Sports Falcons 4, Altamont Home Center 3

Saturday:
St. Louis Invaders 8, Log Cabin 1
Oklahoma Seminole 2, Nokomis 1
Pete’s Blues 2, Elkville 1
Decatur Pride 5, St. Louis Invaders 1
Black Gold 6, Oklahoma Seminole 2
The Freight 2, KC/Lee’s Sports 0
KC/Lee’s Sports 11, Teutopolis KC 2
Log Cabin 10, Belleville Stallions 9
Kelso 8, Elkville 6
Nokomis 6, Altamont Home Center 5
KC/Lee’s Sports 4, Log Cabin 3 (Log Cabin out, 1-2)

Winners bracket semis:
Decatur Pride vs. Pete’s Blues and The Freight vs. Black Gold

Elimination games:
Kelso vs. Altamont (KC/Lee’s Sports vs. winner at 9 am Sunday)
Nokomis vs. Elkville (winner vs. Oklahoma at 11 p.m. approx.)