NY Gremlins vs. The Farm in Finals
The NY Gremlins have made their mark on the 2009 season, sweeping through the winner’s bracket at the ASA Major tournament in South Bend, Indiana, and face The Farm Tavern in the finals for the National title.
The Gremlins are, in large part, last year’s ISC II NY Knights, entering the ASA event as the # 13 ranked team in the ISC World rankings. In the ASA Major event this weekend, they have knocked off three higher ranked opponents (# 4 Midwest Stampede, #5 ranked Farm Tavern and #12 ranked Pueblo Bandits). For anyone wondering if the club was ready to step up from the ISC II ranks to the ISC World tournament later this month, I think it’s fair to say the Gremlins appear ready for prime time.
The Gremlins dispatched ISC # 5 ranked Farm Tavern from Madison, Wisconsin to the loser’s bracket, with a 5-2 win, no small feat. They then advanced to the winners bracket final where they shut-out ISC # 4 ranked Midwest Stampede.
Meanwhile, after suffering the first round upset, the Farm Tavern proceeded to take it out on its next eight opponents, winning four games on Friday and four more on Saturday, to get back to the finals against the team that sent them to the lower bracket.
The Gremlins pitching staff, with the key addition this year of Brian Newton, has surrendered only two runs in its four wins, with both of those scored by the Farm in the opening round game, followed by three consecutive shutout innings.
In the opening round win over The Farm, it was Newton picking up the win, a 4 hitter with 10 strikeouts. Big John Rozitch provided the margin of victory, with a home run and single for three RBI. Gremlin Edwardo Leonardo added an insurance run with a home run for the Gremlins, while Zenon Winters added a home run for the Farm.
Gremlin Bill Hillhouse followed that big win with a perfect game win over Dolan & Murphy.
The Gremlins run to the finals:
Gremlins 5, The Farm 2 (WP-Bryan Newton, 4 hits, 10 K’s)
Gremlins 7, Dolan & Murphy 0 (WP-Bill Hillhouse, PERFECT GAME, 10 K’s)
Gremlins 1, Pueblo Bandits 0 (WP-Bryan Newton, 2 hits, 15 K’s)
Gremlins 4, Midwest Stampede 0 (WP-Bryan Newton, 4 hits, 9 K’s)
Championship game set to go, 9am Sunday August 2, 2009.
ASA Major Tournament
Belleville Softball Complex
South Bend Indiana
Click here for Game summaries and line scores. (PDF)
(Cap tip to Brent Swanson for the link)
Editor’s note: For those of you who are heading over to the ISC World Tournament bracket to see who the NY Gremlins open up against in that tournament, I’ll save you the trouble. It’s 18th ranked Owen Sound of Ontario, Canada. If they can get past Owen Sound in the first round? It would be the # 4 ranked Midwest Stampede, who they beat in the ASA Major winner’s bracket semi-final. (Midwest earning a first round bye by virtue of their Top 8-in-the-rankings status)
Adam Folkard pitched a no-hitter as Australia ended the reign of New Zealand on Sunday in Saskatoon, winning the ISF World Men’s Softball Championship. Photograph by: Greg Pender and Liam Richards, The StarPhoenix
