Two teams awfully familiar with each squared off for second consecutive year in the St. Marys Mens Softball Summer Tournament Championship held at the Robin Road Sports Complex June 18-20.
St. Marys Insurance battled their back through the losers bracket to defeat Allegheny Coatings Goats 18-17 in the championship game, with Jake Cortina’s bases loaded single providing the tournament walkoff hit.
The script was flipped from last year, when the Goats did the same thing, battling back through the losers bracket and knocking off SMI twice to take the title.
Allegheny Coatings were the winners bracket champions, defeating Deprators Beverage 19-5, then knocking off Eckert Technical Systems 19-6 and Carlson Technologies 9-5 to start the tournament 3-0.
SMI reached the long way, losing a first-round matchup to Tyler Landscape, then beating N&S Construction, ETS, a losers bracket semi-final rematch with Tyler and finally beating CTI in the losers bracket final to reach the tournament championship.
In the first game of the championship series, SMI beat Allegheny Coatings 16-3 to force the thrilling winner take all finale.
It was a great weekend had by all. The league held a Chinese auction as a fundraiser and a 50/50 and homerun derby, won by Andy Eck, who out homered Rudy Gleixner 2-0 in a hit off after the two tied in the finals, were held as fundraisers for the Boys and Girls Club.