Cap tip Bruce Hackett
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Carp I4C edged the Donnacona Blue Sox in a thrilling 7-6 walk-off victory in the title game Sunday, ending Donnacona’s two-year run as tournament champions.
Carp I4C trailed 6-2 until tournament Most Valuable Player Bruce Hackett drilled a grand slam in the fifth inning to knot the score.
Matt McKnish, who made the All-Star team, ended the game with a walk-off two-run home run in the bottom of the seventh inning.
Tournament Best Pitcher Neil Cooke pitched Carp I4C to victory in both the semifinal and championship games.
Carp I4C earned a trio of first-place awards — the Tom O’Neill Memorial Trophy, the Arthur Douglas Memorial Trophy and the “Sharkey” Patnode Memorial Trophy — along with the $2,000 prize.
The Donnacona Blue Sox were led by All-Star team member Matt Greer, who had a two-RBI triple, and Steve Savard, who hit a two-run home run.
Donnacona won $900, while third-place teams CPI and Knoxville each earned $300.
In the tournament semifinals, both games went into extra innings.
Donnacona outlasted CPI/Classics, 2-1, in 10 innings, while Carp I4C needed eight innings before recording a 3-2 victory over Knoxville.
This year’s tournament featured the biggest crowd in the history of the event.