EBS STAFF
BIG
SKY –The last weekend of every August, the parking lot at the Big Sky Community
Park fills to the brim, and the smell of grilled burgers and hot dogs greets
participants in the Big Sky Coed Softball League’s year-end tournament, marking
the last days of summer with two days of action-packed games, friendly
competition and light-hearted heckling.
Heading
into the second day of the double elimination tournament, it was hard to pick a
favorite to win the trophy. The previous day the Yeti Dogs put on a hitting
exhibition that gave the regular season champion Cinema Bears their first loss
by mercy rule in the fifth inning.
On
Sunday morning, Milkie’s Big Dogs lost a lopsided game against the returning
tournament champions, the LPC Golden Goats, but bounced back and sent the
Cinema Bears packing in their next game, giving them confidence that they could
take some hardware home at the end of the day.
The
LPC Golden Goats and the perennial powerhouse Hillbilly Huckers emerged as the
last teams without a loss, facing off for a spot in the finals. It was a game
for the ages. Led by shortstop Lee Horning, the Huckers went up 11-0 in the top
of the first inning and were leading by as many as 13 runs during the game.
But
the Goats started hitting consistently late in the game, chipping away at the
lead down the stretch. Down 21-25 in the bottom of the seventh inning, shortstop
Joe O’Connor hit a game-tying grand slam followed by a solo home run by left
fielder Ryan Rothing to walk off and edge out their rivals in the nick of time.
The
Huckers didn’t play like themselves in their next game against Milkie’s, who
after a solid showing against the Huckers, had plenty of momentum going into
the finals against the Goats. With solid defense, LPC managed to win the final
game 16-8, becoming tournament champions for the third consecutive year.
“I’m
proud of this team. Winning three in a row is not easy and we pulled it off. It
was team effort all around.” said Charlie Gaillard, pitcher and coach for the
Goats.
“All
in all it was a great season. The new teams were a lot of fun and a great
addition to the league. The saving grace was hiring ASA umps for the tourney,”
said Queen Jean Palmer. “Congrats to the league champs Cinema Bears and
champions of the world (as we know it) Golden Goats. Can’t wait ‘til next
year!”
