When 28 Special Olympics Kentucky softball teams met in Bowling Green for the 2009 State Softball Tournament, more than just Gold Medals were on the line. Each of the eight teams that would take home the Gold would be eligible for selection to Team Kentucky for the 2010 Special Olympics USA National Games to be held next summer in Lincoln, Neb.
Maybe it was the added incentive or maybe it was the perfect conditions, but something brought out a true competitive spirit in the more than 400 athletes who took part in the Tournament, held Sept. 11-13 at Michael O. Buchanan Park. And that spirit was on display throughout the eight divisions that competed for State Championships.
All four Bowling Green teams participating in the Tournament played on the opening Friday night. And all four of them fell, forcing them into the consolation brackets early in the event. Despite the setbacks, three of the four homestanding teams clawed all the way back to the Gold Medal games in their divisions.
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The Oldham County Eagles celebrate their
2A State Championship. |
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In the B-2 Division, the Bowling Green Cadets lost the opener to the Stewart Home School (Frankfort) Wildcats 11-7. After the Wildcats lost a nail-biter to the East End (Louisville) Rockets in the next round Bowling Green and Stewart Home faced off again. This time it was Bowling Green that came out on top, 10-8. That left the Cadets needing to beat the Rockets two straight to claim Gold. Defending their home field, the Cadets made the wins look easy, cruising to 14-3 and 16-1 triumphs securing Bowling Green's only Gold Medal.
The Bowling Green Rangers almost duplicated that feat in the 1A-Yellow Division, Losing to the Southeast (Louisville) Royals on the opening night of the Tournament. A win on Saturday over the Louisville Braves put the Rangers in the Gold Medal game where they took the first convincingly, 12-6, to force a deciding contest. The Royals were too much this time though, holding on for a 10-7 win and the Gold Medal that went with it.
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Dewayne Prater of the Bowling Green Cavalry crosses
the plate with the winning run to keep his team alive
in the 3A Division. |
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In the 3A games, the Bowling Green Cavalry lost a heartbreaker to the Northern Kentucky Patriots on Friday night, 12-11. They won the same way in Saturday's last game of the day, beating the Pitt Grizzlies 8-7 with a one-out run in the last inning to stay alive. Northern Kentucky was too much on Sunday, though, knocking off Bowling Green 23-11 to claim one of three Gold Medals for that region.
The Bowling Green Cadets weren't the only ones to fight back for a Gold Medal after a loss. The Oldham County Eagles put up 16 runs on Saturday morning against the Pitt Academy Cubs, but it wasn't enough as the Cubs outslugged the Eagles 20-16. Oldham County won their late game Saturday handily to set up a rematch with the Cubs on Sunday. The Cubs used a five-run final inning to take a one-run lead looking to hold on for the Gold, but Megan Jones drove in the winning run for Oldham County on a fielder's choice to force the final game. In that one it was all Oldham County as they cruised to the Gold Medal.
Maybe the Tournament's scrappiest team was in the B-3 Division, where the Louisville Wizards put on quite a show, especially on the Tournament's final day. Things started well enough for the Wizards with easy wins on Friday night and Saturday morning to assure themselves at least a Bronze Medal. But things took a turn on Sunday. Playing in that day's opener, the Wizards lost early to the Pitt Academy (Louisville) Bears. The loss meant they needed three consecutive wins and would have to play four games on Sunday to claim Gold. Despite having to turn around immediately following the loss to Pitt and play the defending State Champion Lexington Twisters, the Wizards hung strong. They held on in a squeaker to win 7-5, setting up a showdown with the Bears. The third game of the day saw the Wizards start to wear down a little though. After the Wizards looked strong early, the Bears were just too much, claiming the Gold with a 9-4 victory.
Only in 2A and 4A did the winners have relatively easily roads to the title. After surviving their opener against the Area 7 Giants 9-8, the Pitt Kodiaks rolled in their next two games to win the 2A Gold Medal, and the Campbell County Wildcats defended their 2008 championship with back-to-back wins over the East End Falcons, making them and the Northern Kentucky Patriots the only repeat champions in 2009.
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The Louisville Llamas cheer after they are announced
as the 2009 State Skills Competition Gold Medallists. |
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In addition to the State Tournament Champions, the Louisville Llamas won the annual Team Skills Competition, open to teams who did not qualify to compete in the State Tournament.
See more than 300 State Tournament Photos available for purchase.
Special Olympics wants to thank everybody who made the 2009 State Softball Tournament such a great event. We especially want to thank Brenda Petty of Warren County Parks and Recreation; Brent Belcher of Bowling Green Parks and Recreation; Marshall Beach and Joe Causey for their help in organizing and operating the event; and sponsors Texas Roadhouse, Kroger, the Law Enforcement Torch Run, the American Softball Association, Chaney’s Dairy Barn and Minit Mart of Bowling Green. We also need to thank all of our volunteers for the weekend, including the umpires and scorekeepers, the Western Kentucky University Fastpitch team which helped with our skills competition and the Kentucky Special Events Medical Team. Finally, our thanks to Jane Tichenor and her Student Council for Exception Children, Greenwood High School and Scott Thompson of Thompson’s DJ Service for setting up a fantastic athletes’ Victory Dance.
For information about how you can get involved in the 2010 State Softball Tournament or about the Special Olympics Kentucky softball program, contact Erin Young at 800-633-7403 or via e-mail at eyoung@soky.org.
4A - Campbell County Wildcats
3A - Northern Kentucky Patriots
2A - Pitt Academy Kodiaks
1A Purple - Oldham County Eagles
1A Yellow - Southeast Royals
B-1 - Area 7 Knights
B-2 - Bowling Green Cadets
B-3 - Pitt Academy Bears
B - Louisville Llamas
