06/21/04 - An RBI double by Chris Dwyer in the second inning was all Labatt Grumpy Stump needed as they shut out Big Ben’s 4-0 in the final to win the 24th St. John’s Day softball tournament title Sunday afternoon at Lions Park.
Grumpy Stump went 6-0 in the tourney.
Tournament MVP Harold Kelly pitched the win, scattering three hits and two walks while striking out seven and hitting one batter. Ward Gosse (8H, 1W, 5K) took the loss.
Shane Gamberg and Scott Dwyer each had two hits for the winners.
In semifinal play, Grumpy Stump trimmed North Atlantic Marine 12-5. The winners plated nine runs in the fourth inning with none out.
Kelly (6H, 3W, 4K) won over Robbie Greene (3IP, 9R, 10H, 1W, 1K). Keith Coady finished up, allowing three runs on five hits.
Steve Rice stroked a two-run home run for the winners, who received three hits each from Gamberg and Brian Roche. Joey Maynard and Chris Roche each had two hits. John Farrell had a two-run home run in a losing cause.
First baseman Derek Mercer knocked in two runs in the sixth inning with a double as Ben’s shaded Sundance 3-2 in their semifinal. Mercer also drove in the other Ben’s run. His first base counterpart with Sundance, Tony Hawco, had both his team’s RBIs.
Jason McHugh (7H, 0W, 6K, 2HB) pitched the win over Don King (8H, 0W, 5K).
Jason Letto and Mark Russell each had two hits for the winners, while Geoff Evely and Hawco registered two-hit games in a losing cause.
In round-robin play Friday and Saturday, it was:
Sundance 9, Canada Games 0
Grumpy Stump 7, North Atlantic 2
Ben’s 12, Canada Games 7
Sundance 7, North Atlantic 5
Grumpy Stump 1, Ben’s 0
North Atlantic 7, Canada Games 0
Ben’s 8, Sundance 1
Grumpy Stump 7, Canada Games 4
Kelly was 5-0 on the mound with a 0.72 ERA.
He allowed only three runs in 29 innings of work. Gamberg won the batting title, going eight-for-15 for a .533 average.
Labatt Grumpy Stump pitcher Harold Kelly puts a high fast one past Big Ben’s designated player Ward Gosse Sunday in the championship game of the St. John’s Day softball tournament at Lions Park. (Photo: By GARY HEBBARD/THE TELEGRAM)