40th Annual Rice Lake Invitational
Tuesday, June 12, 2018
Tin
Cup Returns, Resumes Winning Ways
Tin Cup Tornado returned after a year hiatus,
picking up where it left off by capturing the championship of the 40th
edition of the Aquafest Men’s Fastpitch Invitational Tournament held at Tate
Park in Rice Lake June 8-10. 12 teams took part in this year’s event.
The St. Paul club, managed by
first baseman Dave Marchio, had claimed the crown in 2015 and 2016 before
having to withdraw in 2017 due to a scheduling conflict. Marchio has competed in numerous past
tourneys, chiefly for the St. Paul Rice Street Merchants. He is the meet’s all-time home run leader.
The Tornado opened tournament
play with a 5-3 win over Striker’s Lanes of Baldwin. They then downed the Madison Bar Blues 7-3
before suffering their first defeat of the 2018 season, 3-2, at the hands of
Madison Stoneyard. Tin Cup rebounded to record an 8-1 victory over the Rice
Lake Orangemen, then gained revenge over Stoneyard with a 2-0 champion game win.
Runner-up Stoneyard, whose
roster includes pitcher Bryan Lathrop, a Rice Lake native who toiled several
years for the local Rice Lake Orangemen, initiated its tourney play with a 3-2
triumph over West St. Paul Pate Bonding and followed with a 1-0 squaker over
defending Aquafest champion Odin, Minnesota to set up their two head to head
confrontations with Tin Cup.
The Orangemen finished third and
Len’s Automotive of St. Paul, 2017 NAFA “A” Division national champions, were
fourth while and the Madison Bar Blues tied for fifth.
The Orangemen, who have competed in all 40 Invitationals, opened play in this
year’s event with a 5-3 win over newcomer Bar of Rice Lake before falling to
the Bar Blues 2-1 in 9 innings. They
bounced back to defeat the Cushing Tigers 9-7, Dugout Bar and Grill of Cushing
7-6, Strikers’s Lanes 8-0, Odin 8-5, and Len’s Automotive 8-0 prior to being
eliminated 8-1 by Tin Cup.
Order Of Finish
1. Tin Cup Tornado, St. Paul MN 4-1
2.
The Stoneyard, Madison WI 3-1
3. Orangemen, Rice Lake WI 6-2
4. Len’s Automotive, St. Paul MN 4-3
5.t The Bar Blues, Madison WI 1-2
5.t
Odin Fastpitch, Odin MN 1-2
7.t
Pate Bonding, West St. Paul MN 3-2
7.t
Striker’s Lanes, Baldwin WI 3-2
9.t
Silver Star Nutrition, La Crosse WI
1-2
9.t
Dugout Bar & Grill, Cushing WI 0-3
9.t
The Bar of Rice Lake, Rice Lake WI 0-3
9.t
Cushing Tigers, Cushing WI 0-3
Game By Game Results
1. Orangemen 5, The Bar of Rice Lake 3
2. Striker’s Lanes 9, Cushing Tigers 0
3.
Len’s Automotive 18, Dugout Bar and Grill 0
4.
Tin Cup Tornado 5, Striker’s Lanes 3
5.
The Bar of Madison Blues 2, Orangemen 1 (9 innings)
6.
Pate Bonding 12, Silver Star Nutrition 3
7.
Odin Fastpitch 4, Len’s automotive 1
8. The Stoneyard 3, Pate Bonding
2
9.
Silver Star Nutrition 10, The Bar of Rice Lake 8
10. Orangemen 9, Cushing Tigers 7
11. Pate Bonding 9, Dugout Bar and Grill
1
12. Striker’s Lanes 6, Len’s Automotive
5
13. Len’s Automotive 13, Silver Star
Nutrition 5
14. Orangemen 7, Dugout Bar and Grill 6
15. Pate Bonding 7, Cushing Tigers 0
(forfeit)
16. Striker’s Lanes 8, The Bar of Rice
Lake 4
17. Tin Cup Tornado 7, The Bar of
Madison Blue 3
18. The Stoneyard 1, Odin Fastpitch 0
19. Len’s Automotive 8, Pate Bonding 7
20. Orangemen 8, Striker’s Lanes 0
21. Len’s Automotive 4, The Bar of
Madison Blue 3
22. Orangemen 8, Odin Fastpitch 5
23. The Stoneyard 3, Tin Cup Tornado 2
24. Orangemen 8, Len’s Automotive 0
25. Tin Cup Tornado 8, Orangemen 1
26. Tin Cup Tornado 2, The Stoneyard 0
(championship)
All Tournament Team
PITCHER – Joel Cooley, Twin Cup Tornado
PITCHER – Bryan Lathrop, The Stoneyard
PITCHER – Kevin Kammueller, Orangemen
CATCHER – Mauro Sanchez, Orangemen
INFIELD – Noah Brown, Pate Bonding
INFIELD – Mark Schroeder, The Stoneyard
INFIELD – Justin Olson, Len’s Automotive
INFIELD – Alex Farber, Len’s Automotive
OUTFIELD – Tom Czech, Pate Bonding
OUTFIELD – Mike Flaherty, Len’s Automotive
OUTFIELD – Scott Emerson, Orangemen
MOST VALUABLE PLAYER – Dom Marchio, Tin Cup Tornado
Ronn Kopp –
ronnkopp@charter.net