Wabash Mission 05 provided their Dads with a real nice treat this past weekend going 7-1 on the weekend, winning the 12U division of the USSSA Father’s Day tournament. Mission played very well in their two pool-play games on Saturday winning 5-3 over the Southern Indiana Hotshots and 11-4 over the HERricanes to claim the #1 seed in the 7 team tournament. A night of rest and an early 8 a.m. start did not fare well for the Mission girls as they came out flat, losing their first-round bracket game 4-3. A first round loss in the double elimination tournament meant a long road back to the championship, with heat indices soaring about the century mark. The loss must have woken the Mission girls and their bats up as they went on to outscore their next three opponents 40-0, including a 15-0 win over Kentucky Lightening, a 15-0 win over 12U Triple Threat, and a 10-0 win over the Southern Indiana Hotshots. The third win of the day put Wabash Mission in the championship to face the HERricanes who provided Mission’s only loss of the weekend earlier that morning. Kadie Simmons took to the circle in the first championship game tossing a complete game, allowing 0 runs on 1 hit, striking out 4 and walking only 1 batter. The team belted out 13 hits with Carli Merritt having 3 hits (1 RBI), Libby Horton 2 hits (3 RBI), Mack Sanders 2 hits (1 RBI), Kadie Simmons 2 hits (2 RBI), Piper Belt 2 hits, Rachel Gill 1 hit (1 RBI), and Kathryn Blake 1 hit (1 RBI). Mission scored 12 runs on those 13 hits with the HERricanes recording 3 errors in the field. Final score of the first championship game was 12-0.
The two teams had to turn around and play a three-inning game to decide the champion as each team had only suffered one loss in the double elimination bracket play. Rachel Gill was given the ball in the second championship game and came out dealing well, holding the HERricanes scoreless for the first two innings while Mission managed to scrap out a run in the first frame and a run in the second frame taking a 2-0 lead into what looked to be the final inning of the weekend. That is when things became very interesting. The HERricanes managed to squeak out two runs on a walk, two singles and error in the third inning, tying the game but leaving the home team an opportunity to walk it off and head home as champions. Three well struck balls all managed to record outs for Mission, resulting in an extra inning, international tie-breaker. The tie breaker started each inning with a runner on 2nd and 3rd and one out in the books. The HERricanes managed to score 3 runs in the top of the fourth inning on an infield single followed by two throwing errors. Wabash Mission decided that the game wasn’t quite over with Carli Merritt, Mackenzie Sanders, and Kadie Simmons all scoring on a single and fielder’s choice to tie the game once again at 5-5. Gill walked her first batter to load the bases in the top of the fifth inning but received some great defensive help when Piper Belt caught a line drive and tossed to Selby Patberg at second base to record the third out of that inning. Mission came to the plate in the bottom of the fifth inning, once again starting with a runner on second and third with one out; Piper Belt drew a walk loading the bases. Kathryn Blake came to the plate and lined to center for the second out but was shallow enough that Mission was unable to score the run from third. Selby Patberg popped out to the third baseman to end the fifth inning. Kadie Simmons returned to pitch the top of the sixth inning for Wabash Mission and shut down the HERricanes receiving a grounder back to the pitcher and then managed to strike out the three-hole batter swinging in three pitches. Kathryn Blake was placed on second base and Selby Patberg on third base to begin the tie-breaker in the bottom of the sixth with Rachel Gill up to bat. Gill wasted no time ending the game, belting the first pitch she saw over the centerfielders head with Selby Patberg sliding head first into home plate in a walk-it-off fashion. The win provided Wabash Mission with some much needed USSSA points as they will be traveling to Gulf Shores, Alabama in July to play for a week in the USSSA National Championships. Mission 05 will take to the diamond again this weekend in Louisville, Kentucky to compete in the USSSA Kentucky State Championships. They will be hosting their Third Annual Mission Smash on the Wabash in Mt. Carmel on July 7th and 8th.
Front row left to right: Hannah Parr, Selby Patberg, Emma Adams, Carli Merritt
Back row left to right: Piper Belt, Mackenzie Sanders, Rachel Gill, Kadie Simmons, Libby Horton, Brianna Hiatt, Kathryn Blake
Combined picture with the 12U HERricanes