MANCINI’S-EVANSVILLE SHARE INVITATIONAL CROWN 

For just the second time in the 23 year history of the Rice Lake Men’s Invitational Fastpitch Tournament, co-champions were crowned, as Mancini’s of St. Paul and Evansville Bowl of Evansville, Wisconsin agreed to forego the “if necessary” championship game because of the lateness of the hour and the travel distances of the two squads. Evansville had forced the showdown with a 3-0, 11inning victory in the first championship contest.

Mancini’s had posted a 3-0 win over Evansville Bowl in the winner’s bracket final earlier in the day.

The St. Paul team had posted consecutive wins of 14-0 over the Denmark, Wisconsin Merchants, 4-2 over Villard, Minnesota, and 7-1 over Rep and Baja’s of Wausau enroute to the two battles with Evansville. The Wisconsin team had downed Duluth 3-1, Bloomer Bud Light 

4-0, and the Eau Claire Merchants 5-2 before falling into the loser’s bracket, then rebounded with a 1-0 triumph over Rep and Baja’s to gain the return match with Mancini’s.

Finishing fourth behind Rep and Baja’s was defending champion Wilber Lime of Galesville.

Brecka’s Orangemen of Rice Lake, the only local entry in the 18 team field, posted a record of 2-2, defeating Jeraldine’s of St. Paul and Scandia, Minnesota 4-0 and 2-1 respectively while losing 4-3 to the Eau Claire Merchants and 6-2 to PBI of St. Paul.

Named to the 2001 All-Tournament Team were infielders Mark Paulsrud of Mancini’s, Sam Svees of the Eau Claire Merchants, Scott Musolf of Brecka’s Orangemen, Al Gingras of Rep and Baja’s, and Zach Goring of Villard ABF. Outfielders selected were Ben Johnson of Wilber Lime, Jeff Mataczynski of Hudson Village Inn, Keith Sarbacker of Evansville Bowl, and Roman Foore of PBI. Dave Dziengel of Villard was the All-Tournament designated hitter, with Jerry Bell of PBI and Tom Schoeberl of Mancini’s named catchers. Pitchers selected were Bryan Lathrop of Evansville Bowl, Keith Schmidt of Mancini’s, and Steve Ackerson of Rep and Baja’s.

Lathrop, like Ackerson a product of the Rice Lake-Cameron Boys Softball program, was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player.
 

ORDER OF FINISH 

Team Record
Evansville Bowl, Evansville WI 5-1
Mancini’s, St. Paul MN 4-1
Rep & Baja’s, Wausau WI 4-2
Wilber Lime, Galesville WI 5-2
PBI, West Saint Paul MN 5-2
Eau Claire Merchants, Eau Claire WI 2-2
Villard-ABF, Villard MN 2-2
Emo Bulldogs, Fort Frances ONT 2-2
Bud Light, Bloomer WI 1-2
Marksmen, Wausau WI 1-2
Village Inn, Hudson WI 3-2
Jeraldine’s-Rice Street, St. Paul MN 2-2
Brecka’s Orangemen, Rice Lake WI 2-2
Trail’s End, Scandia MN 1-3
Wotacheck Oil, Tisch Mills WI 0-3
Denmark Merchants, Denmark WI 0-3
Budweiser Fastpitch, Somerset WI 0-3
Duluth, MN 0-3

 

Game Results

Game Winner   Loser  
1 Brecka’s Orangemen 4 Jeraldine’s-Rice Street 0
2 Marksmen 6 Budweiser Fastpitch 2
3 Bloomer Bud Light 4 Village Inn 2
4 Evansville Bowl 3 Duluth 1
5 Trail’s End 4 Wotachek Oil 2
6 Rep & Baja’s 3 PBI 2
7 Mancini’s 14 Denmark Merchants 0
8 Villard-ABF 5 Wilber Lime 4
9 Eau Claire Merchants 4 Brecka’s Orangemen 3
10 Emo Bulldogs 5 Trail’s End 2
11 Jeraldine’s-Rice Street 5 Budweiser Fastpitch 4
12 Village Inn 7 Duluth 2
13 Brecka’s Orangemen 2 Trail’s End 1
14 PBI 9 Wotachek Oil 2
15 Wilber Lime 5 Denmark Merchants 1
16 Jerldine’s-Rice Street 4 Duluth 2
17 Village Inn 4 Budweiser Fastpitch 3
18 PBI 12 Denmark Merchants 0
19 Wilber Lime 8 Wotachek Oil 0
20 PBI 6 Brecka’s Orangemen 2
21 Village Inn 9 Trail’s End 3
22 Eau Claire Merchants 2 Marksmen 0
23 Evansville Bowl 4 Bloomer Bud Light 0
24 Rep &Baja’s 2 Emo Bulldogs 1
25 Mancini’s 4 Villard-ABF 2
26 Emo Bulldogs 3 Jeraldine’s-Rice Street 2
27 Villard-ABF 8 Village Inn 2
28 PBI 2 Marksmen 0
29 Wilber Lime 5 Bloomer Bud Light 1
30 Evansville Bowl 5 Eau Claire Merchants 2
31 Mancini’s 7 Rep & Baja’s 1
32(9 inn) PBI 3 Emo Bulldogs 2
33 Wilber Lime 8 Villard-ABF 4
34(9 inn) Rep & Baja’s 4 PBI 3
35 Wilber Lime 6 Eau Claire Merchants 0
36 Rep & Baja’s 3 Wilber Lime 2
37 Mancini’s 3 Evansville Bowl 0
38 Evansville Bowl 1 Rep & Baja’s 0
39(11 inn) Evansville Bowl 3 Mancini’s 0
40 Not Played      

All-Tournament Team

Infielders: 
Mark Paulsrud, Mancini's
Sam Svees, Eau Claire Merchants
Scott Musolf, Brecka's Orangemen
Al Gingras, Rep & Baja's
Zach Goring, Villard-ABF

Outfielders:
 
Ben Johnson, Wilber Lime
Jeff Mataczynski, Village Inn
Keith Sarbacker, Evansville Bowl
Roman Foore, PBI

DH:
 
Dave Dziengel, Villard-ABF

Catchers: 
Jerry Bell, PBI
Tom Schoeberl, Mancini's

Pitchers:
 
Bryan Lathrop, Evansville Bowl
Keith Schmidt, Mancini's
Steve Ackerson, Rep & Baja's

Most Valuable Player:
Bryan Lathrop (pitcher), Evansville Bowl

 

WILBER LIME RETURNS TO DEFEND INVITATIONAL TITLE

Wilber Lime and the team’s 80 year old Hall of Fame Manager John “Sporty” Salsman return to defend their 2000 championship of the Rice Lake Invitational Men’s Fastpitch Tournament as the 23rd annual Aquafest event gets underway Friday evening at Rice Lake’s Tate and Clanton Parks.  The Galesville based ball club also claimed a record three straight Invitational crowns during the years 1986, 87, and 88.

Last year’s runner up Hammond Knights have disbanded, but most of the players from that squad will be again participating as members of either the Village Inn of Hudson or Budweiser Fastpitch Club of Somerset, both newly founded.

In all, eleven teams from Wisconsin, six from Minnesota, and one from the Canadian province of Ontario are entered in this year’s event. The only local entry is the Brecka’s Floral, Photo, and Garden Center Orangemen of Rice Lake.

The remaining Wisconsin teams entered include the Eau Claire Merchants, the Wausau Marksmen, Rep and Baja’s of Wausau, Wotachek Oil of Tisch Mills, Evansville Bowl of Evansville, the Denmark Merchants, and Bud Light of Bloomer. 

Minnesota entries include Duluth Fastpitch Club, ABF of Villard, Trails End of Scandia, and Jeraldine’s-Rice Street, Mancini’s, and PBI, all of St. Paul.  The Emo Bulldogs of Fort Frances, Ontario complete the 18-team field.

Play gets underway Friday night at Curtis Field at 7:30 p.m. with Brecka’s Orangemen hosting Mancini’s.  That game will be followed at 9:00 by the contest between Budweiser Fastpitch and the Wausau Marksmen.  On Steinert Field at 8:00 p.m. Hudson Village Inn faces Bud Light of Bloomer.

Action resumes Saturday morning at 9:30 a.m., with both Curtis and Steinert Fields at Tate Park and Marcon Field at Clanton Park in use on Saturday.  Play is scheduled Sunday at those three sites along with Clanton Park’s Gilbertson Field, with first games set for 9:00 a.m.  From 12:30 p.m. on all games are at Tate, with the first championship contest stated for 5:00 p.m.

The tournament is once again under sponsorship of the Rice Lake-Cameron Boys Fastpitch League.