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The Grasel Graphics 19-and-under men’s softball team took the long way home over the
weekend.
The Frankenmuth-based fastpitch ball club played its way through the losers bracket and then defeated Wroxeter, Ontario, twice in the final round to take home the International Softball Congress North American East Division Fastpitch Tournament title at Frankenmuth’s Heritage Park on
Sunday.
Grasel Graphics won its first four games before losing to Wroxeter 3-2 in quarterfinals, putting the Frankemuth club in the losers bracket for two more games and an early wake-up call Sunday. "We wanted to stay in the winners bracket as long as we could," Grasel Graphics’ third baseman and pitcher Brent Fehrman
said.
Fehrman and Andrew Phibbs, both from Hagersville, Ontario, led the way on the mound for the Frankenmuth team.
Grasel Graphics started at 9 a.m. Sunday with a 1-0 win over Elmira, Ontario, then beat Munger 4-3 in eight innings in the losers bracket finals.
The two-game sweep of Wroxeter gives a trip to Kimberly, Wisc., for the ISC North American title game against Chilliwauk, British Columbia, the Western Division Champion.
"This has been an unbelievable weekend," Graphics coach Tom Stasik said. Graphics slid past Munger in the losers bracket final after both teams made great defensive plays.
Dave Baury homered in the second inning for an early Graphics’ lead. In the seventh, with the score 2-2, Allan Phibbs tried to score from second on a Baury single but was gunned down at the
plate.
Munger then had a chance to get things going in the bottom of the seventh, but Graphics’ left fielder Ken Radford made a driving
catch.
"I saw it come off the bat and I got a good read on it," said Radford, a junior at Mount Morris High School. "I wanted to at least get in front of it and not let it go past me. Lucky for me it landed in my glove." Radford’s heroics didn’t end
there.
After center fielder Jamie Carnes walked, Radford hit a towering home run over the center field fence to give the Graphics a 4-2 lead.
"I knew it was gone the moment it hit the bat," said Radford, who was playing in his first fastpitch tournament. "I’ve hit a ball that far in baseball but never in
softball.
"Munger battled back in the bottom of the eight with a run off a wild pitch, but pitcher Andrew Phibbs struck out two batters to close the game.
"(Phibbs) throws the hardest ball I’ve ever seen," said Ty McKinney, Munger’s catcher and a member of the 19-and-under United States National Team. "his drop is a tough pitch and he never seems to get tired. This was just a good
team.
"Graphics met Wroxeter in the finals, and turned to Fehrman to pitch the first game instead of Phibbs, who had 50 strikeouts in five victories. Fehrman had pitched against Wroxeter on Saturday and allowed three unearned runs in the loss.
"We had to give Phibbs a rest and try to save him for the final game," Stasik said. Fehrman cam through in an 8-0 hitter and walked two in five innings.
"This was a little revenge for Saturday," Fehrman said "I really wanted to finish the tourney, but Andrew is a good pitcher."
Phibbs would finish the tournament, scattering four hits over seven innings while striking out 13 more.
Todd Moore scored the Graphics first run in the first inning on an Everett Kettlehut double. Kettlehut then scored on a Baury single.
Frankenmuth added a run in the bottom of the fourth when Chris Cramer singled home Chad Stasik, who reached base when he was hit by a pitch.
Radford capped the Graphics’ scoring in the fifth inning with an in-the-park home run to left-center
field.
The Graphics will play in a best-of-five series for the ISC North American Championship on Thursday, Aug. 20 through Sunday, Aug.23.
"The highest finish I have ever had with this team is fourth and that was last year." Tom Stasik said. "to reach the finals is just amazing to me."
"When we started this tournament we had local kids who are great athletes but haven’t played a lot of softball and three kids from Hagersville, Ontario who made the trip to play for
us."
The kids played well together, had fun at night, worked hard in the day and I’m proud of them all."
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