The Milwaukee Merchants win the Eastern National Championships the hard way
The Milwaukee Merchants faced a rough road on its way to the men's 50-plus major championship at Senior Softball USA's Eastern National Championships, which were held in Elgin, Ill., in August.
Strike one, the team was going through the losers bracket, which made for more games played and made wilting in the August heat and humidity that much more likely.
Strike two, in the championship game the Merchants were facing Windy City, a Chicago-area team that had defeated the Merchants earlier in the tournament, 25-21. On top of that, the Merchants had lost to Windy City by the embarrassing score of 20-0 in a tournament the previous week.
And finally, in what might have been strike three, the Merchants, because the team came through the losers bracket in this double elimination tournament, had to defeat Windy City, which was the winners bracket champion, two games in a row. With a mixture of timely hitting, good defense and some luck, the Merchants were able to take two tight ballgames from Windy City to win the title. "It's kind of tough, coming out of the losers bracket, to beat someone the caliber of Windy City two games in a row," said Jeff Lewiston, the Milwaukee Merchants' captain.
But that's exactly what the Merchants did, winning 22-17 to force an "if" game and then squeaking by in that game 18-17.
"It's all about momentum," said Windy City's captain, Bob Kolvitz. "Every shot we hit was caught. Everything they hit we couldn't get to. It was one of those days."
In the first game of the championship set, Windy City opened by scoring five runs (the maximum per inning in this tournament) in each of the first three innings. Windy City scored these runs without making a single out. The Milwaukee Merchants kept pace, matching Windy City run for run.
The Merchants changed pitchers in the second inning of the first game, a move that later left Windy City frustrated at the plate. Lewiston, who hurt his leg in a previous game, removed himself, and Willie Bishop took the mound. Eventually, Bishop made Windy City bow, even setting the team down in a 1-2-3 inning, a slow-pitch softball rarity. "Three outs on five pitches -- unbelievable," Kolvitz said.
"Willie did a heck of a job," Lewiston said. The first game of the championship set ended with Kolvitz grounding into a double play. In the last inning of the second game, with the tying run for Windy City on third base and the go-ahead run on first base, Bishop was in the right place at the right time. Windy City slugger Jim Cushing lined a shot up the middle that seemed certain to tie the game, but Bishop deflected the ball to the Merchants' shortstop Scott Herrick, who stepped on second base to force the runner on first, ending the game.
"Those kinds of plays eventually even out over the long haul, but we benefited from that play right there," Lewiston said.
Champions from Senior Softball USA's Eastern National Championships Elgin, Ill Aug. 7-12
Men's 50+ Major Milwaukee Merchants
Men's 50+ AAA Michael Valerio CPA (Mich.)
Men's 55+ Platinum Travelodge 55's
Men's 55+ AAA Bay State Bombers (Mich.)
Men's 55+ AA Ohio Silverados
Men's 60+ Platinum Scrap Iron (Colo.)
Men's 60+ Major Joseph Chevrolet
Men's 60+ AA HMR 60's (Pa.)
Men's 60+ AA Oshkosh Ambassadors
Men's 65+ Platinum Western Mich./Bob Evans
Men's 65+ AAA Milwaukee Seniors
Men's 65+ AA Chicago Geezers
Men's 70+ AAA Dan Pfeiffer Sportsmen (Mich.)
Men's 70+ AA Cape Cod Five
Men's 75+ Ohio Tile & Marble
Champions from International Senior Softball Association World Championships Manassas, Va. Aug. 17-19
Cycling
