2019 held at Drake’s Creek Park in Hendersonville, Tennessee on August 17-18, 2019.
Champion – Thunder/EGL Foundation/Gillies Softball, Gladewater, Texas
Runner Up – Precision/H.Auto/Sprizzi, Lindenhurst, Illinois
An undefeated run at the 2019 USA Softball Men’s Class A Slow Pitch National Championship earned Thunder/E.G.L. Foundation/Gillies Softball the title of National Champion. Defeating Precision/H.Auto/Sprizzi 21-12 in the Championship Game, it was the second meeting between the two teams in the last 12 hours after a winners’ bracket finale went well into the midnight hour but ultimately ended with the same result: a Thunder victory.
Led by Tournament MVP Kyle Pearson, Thunder outscored opponents 108-66 on their path to winning the title with two of their four wins coming by way of the run-rule.
Precision got out to an early lead in the top of the first inning with back-to-back solo home runs and a two-run shot that gave them a four-run edge. Thunder contacted the ball in the bottom of the frame, but nothing made it through the gaps and the team was kept off the board.
Precision added to their lead with a pair of runs in the top of the second inning, but a three-run home run by Brian McBryde cut Precision’s lead to 6-3 after two complete innings.
Thunder took the lead in the bottom of the third and never looked back as the team drove in 18 runs over the course of the next four innings of play. A pair of two-run home runs and two solo blasts gave Thunder the 9-6 lead.
Precision brought the game within one run in the top of the fourth inning with a solo home run and RBI single, but Thunder added two more to their run total, putting them up 11-8.
The offenses were silent in the fifth inning as a two-run home run by Precision and a solo home run by Thunder were all either side could muster at the plate.
Precision was kept off the board for the second time in the game in the top of the sixth, but Thunder put the game away with nine runs in the bottom of the frame. Two singles drove in two runs and a grand slam by Josh Fyffe put the home team up by eight runs. The offense continued with a three-run home run by Shannon Smith.
Down by 11 runs headed to their last at-bat of the game, Precision went out swinging with back-to-back singles, but a fly ball kept the runners at bay. A double by Chente Granados brought the runners home and a single from Brad Lunda put runners on the corners, but a pop fly and line drive ended the game with Thunder earning the 21-12 win.
McBryde and Fyffe led Thunder at the plate, both driving in five runs with a pair of home runs.
How the teams made it to the finals
Thunder landed in the Championship Game after going 3-0 through bracket play. Challenged in their first contest of the tournament, Thunder narrowly edged Dan Smith/Sonnys 30-28. With the help of a 14-run third inning, Thunder’s offense was limited to just one run through the last three innings of play.
A 32-16 (five inning) run-rule over Monsta Athletics/Black Sheep put Thunder in the winners’ bracket finale. Another explosive inning, this time a 13-run second inning, helped the squad take the lead early. Cory Briggs drove in eight runs off three home runs while Smith’s six RBI and two home runs led the offense.
Facing off against Precision with the winner advancing to the Championship, Thunder’s offense exploded for a 25-10 (five innings) win. Big offensive-innings, including 11 runs in the first, seven in the fourth and six in the fifth, helped the Thunder capture their second run-rule victory.
For Precision, a pair of one-run games landed the team in the winners’ bracket final. The team escaped with a 31-30 win over Anarchy/SIS/OA Apparel in their first game of the tournament after Travis Clark drove in the game-winning run. A game-winning single by Jeff Keske helped Precision to their second walk-off victory, this time a 34-33 win over TDB/FAI.
After dropping the 25-10 decision to Thunder, Precision faced Monsta Athletics in the third-place game where the offense erupted for a 23-7 (five inning) win. A 14-run outing in their first at-bat of the game set the tone as grand slams by Jeremy Yates, who was named Tournament Batting Champion, and Chente Granados led the offense.
Click here for box scores, stats and more
- MVP – Kyle Pearson, Thunder/E.G.L. Foundation/Gillies Softball
- HR Leader – Dale Brungardt, TDB/FAI
- HR Leader – David Johnson, Monsta Athletics/Black Sheep
- HR Leader – Matt Fox, Monsta Athletics/Black Sheep
- Batting Leader – Jeremy Yates, Precision/H.Auto/Sprizzi
FIRST TEAM ALL-AMERICANS
P – Travis Clark, Precision/H.Auto/Sprizzi (17-20, .850, 4 HR, 11 RBI, 15 Runs)
IF – Jeremy Yates, Precision/H.Auto/Sprizzi (20-22, .909, 6 HR, 22 RBI, 13 Runs)
IF – Kyle Pearson (LA), Thunder/E.G.L. Foundation/Gillies Softball (17-20, .850, 2 HR, 11 RBI, 12 Runs)
IF – Greg Connell, Precision/H.Auto/Sprizzi (17-21, .810, 2 HR, 11 RBI, 12 Runs)
IF – Dale Brungardt, TDB/FAI (16-19, 7 HR, .842, 23 RBI, 10 Runs)
IF – David Johnson, Monsta Athletics/Black Sheep (17-22, .773, 7 HR, 20 RBI, 15 Runs)
IF – Bryan Dezern, Monsta Athletics/Black Sheep (12-17, .706, 5 HR, 11 RBI, 10 Runs)
IF – Shannon Smith, Thunder/E.G.L. Foundation/Gillies Softball (11-18, .611, 5 HR, 15 RBI, 11 Runs)
IF – Cory Briggs, Thunder/E.G.L. Foundation/Gillies Softball (14-20, .700, 5 HR, 15 RBI, 8 Runs)
IF – Jeff Flood, Precision/H.Auto/Sprizzi (10-19, .526, 6 HR, 15 RBI, 8 Runs)
OF – Patrick Ellwanger, Precision/H.Auto/Sprizzi (14-22, 636, 4 HR, 9 RBI, 14 Runs)
OF – Steele Lewis, TDB/FAI (15-18, .833, 3 HR, 5 RBI, 14 Runs)
OF – Jason Matusik, TDB/FAI (16-20, .800, 5 HR, 19 RBI, 17 Runs)
OF – Ben Dunn, Thunder/E.G.L. Foundation/Gillies Softball (12-18, .667, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 11 Runs)
OF – Brian McBryde, Thunder/E.G.L. Foundation/Gillies Softball (12-17, .706, 4 HR, 15 RBI, 14 Runs)
FINAL STANDINGS
1. Thunder/EGL Foundation/Gillies Softball – Gladewater, TX (4-0)
2. Precision/H. Auto/Sprizzi – Lindenhurst, IL (3-2)
3. Monsta Athletics/Black Sheep – Calimesa, CA (3-2)
4. TDB/FAI – Kannapolis, NC (2-2)
5t. T’s 13/Monsta/CTE – Becker, MN (3-2)
5t. Dan Smith/Sonny’s – Casper, WY (2-2)
7t. Anarchy/SIS/OA Apparel – Rochester, NY (1-2)
7t. Comatose/S2N/Monsta – Beloit, WI (2-2)
9t. OC/Drip City/Monsta – Grimes, IA (0-2)
9t. Heartland Investors – Mandan, ND (0-2)
9t. LJ Sportswear – Oskaloosa, IA (0-2)
OTHERS
Zane Migues, Dan Smith/Sonnys (15-19, .789, 7 HR, 18 RBI, 15 Runs)
Kevin Bazat, Comatose/S2N/Monsta (13-17, .765, 2 HR, 8 RBI, 10 Runs)
Daniel Cayton, Dan Smith/Sonnys (15-20, .750, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 12 Runs)
Bubba Mack, Dan Smith/Sonnys (13-18, .722, 4 HR, 13 RBI, 11 Runs)
Matt Schrage, T’s 13/Monsta/CTE (16-22, .727, 6 HR, 12 RBI, 15 Runs)
Ryan Harvey, TDB/FAI (12-19, .632, 6 HR, 12 RBI, 10 Runs)
