Elkville ASA State Runner-Up's in Fastpitch

</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[ Playing six games in a span of less than 30 hours, Elkville Fastpitch returned home late Sunday night with the second place trophy from the Illinois Amateur Softball Assocation Class B State Tournament.

Ending the two-weekend event with a 7-2 record, Elkville appeared in the B state's final game for the fourth time since 1998. A loss 14-7 loss against the Belleville Stallions decided the tournament, which started with 20 teams.

Elkville holds three previous championships in the B flight- 1998, 1999 and 2001.

Victories Saturday over Kohlmann Orthopedics of Teutopolis (10-2), Springfield Brandt's (9-1) and Teutopolis Tropical Snow (6-1) set the stage for Sunday's run.

Elkville rallied to beat Teutopolis (Koerner Miller Lite) 6-5 as trophy round play began and then eliminated defending state champ Villa Grove (Log Cabin Inn) 6-2 to capture losers bracket honors.

Against Belleville, the local squad fell behind 9-2 before storming back into contention.

A sixth inning grand slam home run by tournament pick-up Dusty Jaroski trimmed the margin down to 9-7. Elkville could get no closer as Belleville closed out its second state crown in four years by scoring five times against reliever Don Malawy.

Chad Reams, Aaron Hunter and Tim Herring all had two hit games with Jaroski going 3-for-4 to cap a spectacular tournament.

Shawn Hunter, Drew Porter and Nathan Hunter also connected safely.

Troy Downen suffered the pitching loss. Les Wood and Malawy finished up.

In the win over Log Cabin, Lance Bedar's two-run single in the second inning put Elkville in front to stay. S. Hunter and Reams each had two RBI. A. Hunter was 3-for-4 with Porter, Jaroski and N. Hunter contributing hits. Jaroski tripled.

Wood won his fifth tournament game in the pitching circle, whiffing 10 with an eight-hitter.

Elkville needed A. Hunter's two-out, bases loaded double in the sixth to finish a miracle comeback win over Koerner Miller Lite to start Sunday's play.

Trailing 5-1 with two outs, Reams drew a bases loaded walk to push across the second run. Bedar then reached via error as the lead whittled down to 5-3.

A. Hunter's shot then sent N. Hunter, Reams and Bedar scooting home.

Wood, who relieved Downen in the sixth, gained the pitching win. He struck out two and benefited from defensive gems by Jaroski (third base) and Herring (shortstop) to keep Koerner's at bay.

Following the tournament, five Elkville players were named to the ASA Class B All-State team. The list included Reams (OF), A. Hunter (1B), S. Hunter (DP), Bedar (C) and Wood (P).

Jaroski, despite knocking in 12 runs the final weekend of the tourney (and belting five tournament homers), was a mysterious deletion from ASA honors.

SATURDAY's ROUND-UP

In the win over Brandt's, Wood scattered five hits and struck out three in a five-inning affair.

Eight different batters had at least one hit for Elkville, which jumped ahead 2-0 on first inning RBI hits by Porter and S. Hunter.

A six-run second inning put the victory early. Bedar, S. Hunter and Barry Maynor all smacked RBI hits with Jaroski tripling home two more tallies.

Bedar, A. Hunter, Maynor, Porter and Jaroski all had two hits with S. Hunter going 3-for-3.

A 12-hit attack, with at least one safety for every spot in the line-up, lifted Elkville to its victory over Tropical Snow.

Jaroski's RBI double staked Wood and Elkville to a 1-0 second inning lead. In the fifth, Elkville sealed its trip to the final four by sending 10 batters to the plate.

Five runs scored, three on A. Hunter's towering home run to dead centerfield. Bedar's single and a T'town error pushed the margin to 6-0.

Wood fanned 10 and pitched a three-hitter, surrendering only a sixth inning run.

S. Hunter added three more hits with Bedar going 2-for-4. Jaroski finished with an RBI, his eighth of the day. Reams, Maynor, Porter, N. Hunter and Herring all hitting safely.

Jaroski blasted two home runs and had four RBI early Saturday afternoon, helping Elkville Fastpitch defeat Kohlmann Orthopedics.

An RBI single from A. Hunter in the third inning broke a 1-1 tie and sent Elkville on its way. A two-run shot by Jaroski put Elkville on top 3-1 an inning later. In the fifth, he added a second two-run shot as the margin reached 5-1.

Maynor and S. Hunter also homered. Jaroski, Reams, A,. Hunter and Maynor all enjoyed two-hit days.

Troy Downen tossed a four-hitter for the local team, whiffing 10 batters. He gave just one earned run.

Elkvile survived despite making five errors behind Downen.

SUNDAY'S GAMES

Stallions 14, Elkville 7

Elkville 000 025 0-7 11 1

Stallions 002 700 5-14 18 1

WP-Davis. LP-Downen, 2-1. SV-M. Godar

Elkville 6, Log Cabin 2

Elkville 130 011 0-6 12 0

LC 100 001 0-2 8 1

WP-Wood, 5-1. LP-Punke.

Elkville 6, Koerner Miller Lite 5

Elkville 001 005 0-6 13 1

Miller Lite 201 020 0-5 9 1

WP-Wood, LP-J. Einhorn

SATURDAY'S GAMES

Elkville 10, Kohlmann 2

KO 010 010 0- 2 4 2

Elkville 011 232 x- 10 11 5

WP-Downen. LP-Lidy.

Elkville 9, Brandt's 1

Brandt's 010 00- 1 6 2

Elkville 260 1x- 9 15 2

WP-Wood. LP-Gualandi.

Elkville 6, Tropical Snow 1

Elkville 010 050 0- 6 12 2

T'town 000 001 x- 1 3 3