DYNASTY
COMPLETE!
Saturday
format brings out the luck of the Irish as the Fightin's win an
unprecedented third straight Senior Circuit Title
2008 Senior Circuit Results
2008 Junior Circuit
Results
2008 Rookie Circuit
Results
Neither rain, nor sleet, nor snow could
stop the 15th edition of the Ephrata Invitational Wiffle
Ball Tournament from taking place as participants, spectators, and
tournament organizers showed that flexibility and determination can
prevail as the annual Wiffle Ball tournament was adapted into a
single-day event this past Saturday with 35 teams participating
across three divisions. The annual high school baseball fundraiser,
sponsored jointly by the Ephrata High School Baseball Boosters and
the Ephrata Baseball Association, once again provided plenty of
intense competition, lots of fun-filled moments, and crowned three
teams with Circuit Championships in the Rookie, Junior, and Senior
Circuits.
When Friday’s school cancellation forced Day One of the tournament
to be postponed into an all-day double-elimination event on
Saturday, tournament organizers chose to shorten the length of each
contest into three-inning games. That rule modification
surprisingly proved to provide lots of excitement across all three
circuits and also proved to be an equalizer throughout the day. The
dominant Senior Circuit team of all-senior Fightin’ Irish needed an
extra frame to win their very first game of the day and remained
unblemished straight through the finals to earn the tournament’s
first-ever “three-peat” Senior Circuit Championship, defeating The
Backyard Bandits 7-6 in another extra frame tilt. Irish team
member Anthony Rinaldi earned the Most Valuable Player honor in his
age bracket, hitting three home runs during the event, while
Backyard Bandit Austin Landis collected the consolation prize of Cy
Young winner. Also noteworthy was the Mathletes, who once again
showed that looks are everything by claiming yet another Best
Uniforms Award.
After getting knocked into the loser’s
bracket early in the Junior Circuit and barely defeating Da Runs in
extra innings, the Duct Tape Warriors made it two-in-a-row by
regrouping and defeating the surprisingly strong 6th
grade MVP’s in the finals on Saturday night. Team captain Ryan
Brubaker won the Most Valuable Player award for the Duct Tape gang
while teammate Andre Hoover grabbed the Cy Young Award. And,
although they were there to play Wiffle Ball, the Disney Princesses
and The Hippies made fashion the name of the game by being crowned
co-winners for the Best Uniforms of the Junior Circuit.
Earlier on in the
evening in the Rookie Circuit, The Phillies and the Future Mounts
locked horns in a battle of unbeatens to decide the elementary
division’s championship game. The out-of-town Phillies broke things
open in the first few frames, eventually winning 9-3 to claim their
first-ever crown. Kole Adams of the Phils captured MVP honors,
while Matt McGillan earned the Cy Young representing the Future
Mounts.
Thank you!
The Ephrata High School
Baseball program, its boosters, and the Ephrata Baseball Association
would like to thank everyone who contributed to making the 2008
Ephrata Invitational Wiffle Ball Tournament another huge success,
despite having to alter, modify, and change on the go due to
inclement weather. After going to Plan B, the single-day event went
without a hitch, a testament to the positive spirit and enthusiasm
that has made this tournament a true community event.
Special thanks goes to the Ephrata Area School District for allowing
us to once again host the event, the Ephrata Middle School custodial
and food service staff for their flexibility in assisting with
equipment, set up, and clean up, and all of the volunteers who
umpired, kept score, ran concessions and helped run a flawless “66
games-in-one-day event”. We would also like to thank Dairy Queen of
Ephrata for their generosity in providing our participants with
coupons for hitting home runs and competing. Lastly, we would like
to thank the spectators and participants for another wonderful
tournament. This year’s event will be remembered as one that
challenged everyone’s ability to remain flexible and positive –
qualities that make our community a great place to live. Here’s to
another fifteen years of the Indoor War!
On behalf of the entire Mounts baseball program, thank you!
Sincerely,
Adrian Shelley
Head Baseball Coach |
