St. Marys – It took three games on Father’s Day, but the Allegheny Coatings Goats outlasted Elk County Tool & Die in the finals of the St. Marys Softball Mens League Mid-Summer Classic Tournament held over the weekend at the Robin Road Sports Complex.
After a soggy Friday night of games and a full slate on Saturday, three teams were left standing Sunday when action got underway, Allegheny Coatings and Elk County Tool & Die, both undefeated and starting the day playing in the winners bracket final, and St. Marys Insurance, who fought their way through the losers bracket on Saturday, waiting for the loser of the Goats and ECTD.
The 9:00 am winners bracket finale was all Goats from the get-go, with Allegheny Coatings jumping out to an 11-3 lead after two innings and never looking back, picking up the 21-10 win and a spot in the tournament championship.
The Goats were led by Brett Quiggle, who went 4 for 5 with a homerun, two doubles and a pair of RBI’s. Andy Eck also homered and drove in 3 runs. Kevin Hoy added 4 RBI’s and Hoy, Dillon Kline, Derek Meyer, Jake Geer and Dalton Kline all doubled for the winners.
ECTD was led by Jared Groll’s 2 for 3 performance that included a homerun. Rudy Gleixner added a two run dinger and Garrett Hornung knocked in 3 runs.
The loss sent ECTD to the losers bracket final against St. Marys Insurance. The Diemen squeaked out the 8-7 win to get another shot at Allegheny Coatings in the tournament championship.
Kyler Lenox smacked a three run homerun in the first inning to lead ECTD. Andy Glass added a perfect 3 for 3 day at the plate and Cory Huff knocked in 2 runs, while Gleixner added a double and 2 RBI.
Tony Chiodo was 3 for 4 with a triple and an RBI to lead SMI. Kurt Eckert added 3 hits and 2 RBI’s in the losing effort.
ECTD then rallied in the first game of the championship series, winning 16-13, scoring 7 runs in the top of the seventh inning to give Allegheny Coatings a loss and force a winner take all game to claim the tournament title.
Lenox was 3 for 4 with a homerun and 4 RBI’s to lead ECTD. Groll and Tyler Donachy both added a homerun. Danny Singer added a two run double for the winners.
Leading the way for the Goats was Eck, who hit a pair of homeruns and drove in 5 runs. Justin Quiggle and Brett Quiggle both added a round-tripper for the losers.
In the final game of the tournament, it was Allegheny who would rally late to win the championship over ECTD 15-13. Trailing 13-9 heading to the seventh inning, the Goats pushed 7 runs across the plate and then held ECTD scoreless in the bottom half of the inning to take home the title.
Brett Quiggle, Kevin Hoy, and Eck all hit homeruns to lead the Goats. Dillon Kline added a perfect 4 for 4 effort at the dish and Rich Quiggle went 3 for 4 with a pair of RBI’s from the bottom spot in the lineup for the winners.
Groll went 3 for 3 for ECTD, hitting a double, triple and homerun and driving in 5 runs. Lenox added a homerun and Donachy smacked a pair of doubles in the losing effort.
The regular season will pick back up Tuesday evening when ECTD and Allegheny Coatings will square off again in the 5:50 pm game, with Keystone Rural Health taking on St. Marys Insurance in the nightcap. The four teams hold the top four spots in the league standings and will look to strengthen their playoff resumes.