The Mudcats, following a respectable 4th in the 2004 Capt Jacks PL Hardball
Invitational, take 2nd place in the prestigious 16 Team Arlington Green Isle
Invitational June 18-20. The Tourney field is always a premier mix of class
C contenders from the best leagues around the state. Rob Tschimperle picked
up the big win in game 1 going 10 complete and Dusty Olynyk delivering the
RBI double in the 10th for the 'Cats in the 3-2 win over the Loretto Larks.
The Mudcats then derailed the Kimball Express 5-1 behind Jake Schmidt's 3
hitter on the hill for the fish. Kimball had just last week won the St Cloud
Area Tourney which pits the areas C powers. Game 3 had BJ Benz with the
pill and the 'Cats shut out St Cloud OSC Ice in the top of the 1st before
posting a 10 in the bottom of the inning. The Mudcats could only muster
another run while the Ice got hot and scratched out 7 to make the final 11-7
in the 3rd complete game for Mudcat pitching in the Tourney. The 'Cats went
to Arlington for the Championship Sunday night and traded runs with a pesky
Essig Blue Jays club that like many in the tourney field had fared well in
last seasons State Tournament. Andy Hanson was given the rock for the
Championship and kept the hitters off balance and scattered hits first
spotting the Blue Jays 2 in the first that the 'Cats were able to answer
with 2. The 'Cats who had played solid hard nosed ball all weekend were
unable to make a key play or push in a run that could have delivered the big
win. It was a great outing for Hanson in the 4-3 loss to a fine Essig Club.
The Mudcats had some great plays on defense, great hitting performances and
hustle on the diamond but the quality of the staff was the constant and
carried them all weekend. The Consolation game had the host Green Isle
Irish 4-1 over Watkins. DRS team St Patrick lost 5-4 to Fairfax and Watkins
3-0 to go 2 and out. Thank You from the PL Mudcats to the boards or
Arlington & Green Isle, Tourney committee & volunteers, teams and fans for a
great tournament experience. The competition was tough, played hard & with
class. Hope to see you in 2005!