California Taylor Farms LumberKings rallied for a come-from-behind 2-1 win over Waterdown Hammer to become the first top-ranked team to win the ISC II Tournament of Champions.
The LumberKings victory capped a day spectacular fastball with all but one of the seven games played at Memorial Park in Appleton decided by only one or two runs.
In the final, winning pitcher Dave Drotzmann and the Hammer’s Wayne Wells each worked three scoreless innings before the Hammer got on the board in the bottom of the fourth with Matt DaSilva coming in to score.
The LumberKings replied with two runs of their own. Pat Fuentes scored the tying run on a wild pitch and then Brian Teeters scored on an infield ground out to put California in the lead for good. Drotzmann worked 1-2-3 innings in the sixth & seventh to get the complete game victory.
California started the day with a nervy 3-1 win over Ottawa Team Easton Thunder. ISC II MVP Marcus Tan lead off the game with an inside the park home run to give the LumberKings a lead they would never relinquish. Jeff Twist reached base after a strike out passed ball, and came around to score the second run. Ottawa trimmed the lead to 2-1 on an unearned run, though the LumberKings added a key insurance run in the 6th on a Marcus Tan sacrifice fly. Centerfielder Brian Teeters made a game saving catch in the bottom of the 6th on a long gap shot with two men aboard to preserve the win.
In the semi finals, it was Teeters to the rescue again, with a two-run home run in the bottom of the sixth inning to provide themargin of victory as the Lumberkings edged the previously unbeaten New York Knights 2-1. Mike Egerdeen turned in his finest performance of the 2008 ISC II tournament, an 11 strikeout, 3-hitter, going the distance for the win. Egerdeen had only one mistake in the game, surrendering a fourth inning solo home run to straight-a-way center to first baseman Dave Lohman. Until the Teeters home run, it appeared that the performance might go for naught, but the Lumberkings showed remarkable resiliency, with three wins coming in their final at bat.
For Waterdown, they started the day facing hard-throwing righty Kevin Kammueller of St. Paul, MN ASB Villard. Wells lasted only four innings before giving way to Tim Neill. With the game tied at 2, the Hammer broke the game open in the top of the seventh with three runs, two of them coming on a key Dave Brownhill triple.
Neill would go the distance for Waterdown in their 2-1 semi-final win over Kitchener Outlaws. Waterdown got on the board early as Tim Coe followed a John Kemp triple with an RBI single. In the second, back to back triples by Brownhill and Kemp counted the second run for the Hammer. Neill was masterful, not allowing an Outlaws runner past first base until a Tim Dubois home run in the 5th.
Earlier in the day, New York ended the run by Bryan Newton and the River City Rockers with a 6-2 victory while Ashland Stock Pack were eliminated by Kitchener.
Marcus Tan was named the ISC II MVP. Also the RBI leader with 11, Tan played stellar defence at second for the LumberKings and provided both power and average from his lead-off spot in the order.
John Kemp was the leading hitter, batting .562 prior to the final.
Dave Drotzmann was the Most Outstanding Pitcher, finishing with a 5-0 record.
