FARGO – Dan Lucey had some blood coming from a split lip Sunday thanks to the outfield fence at Anderson Softball Complex. Lucey ran right into it on a home run.
“It was pure stupidity,” Lucey said. “I can’t believe I did that.”
Lucey kept the stupidity to a minimum Sunday, driving in seven runs, including four on a grand slam, to lead Kass & Co. to a 30-4 five-inning win in the championship game of the ASA Men’s Slowpitch Class D Northern National Tournament.
“It’s pretty awesome,” said Kass & Co. coach Mark Kass, who had two hits and an RBI in the championship game. “First time we’ve ever gone this far, so it’s great. A lot of good teams up here and it was awesome.”
It’s seemingly so tempting to walk up to the plate, see the ball floating through the air and want to swing as hard as one can. So often that leads to nothing but a long out. Kass & Co. sprayed the ball to any open spot on the field Sunday and put the finishing touches on a sweep of the three-day tournament.
“We’ve just been playing together a long time and we’re all smart ballplayers and we just take what the other team gives you,” Kass said.
The Men’s Hair House team was hoping the championship trophy of the first national slowpitch tournament Fargo has ever hosted would stay with a Fargo team. But the team from Iowa left no doubt, plating four runs in the first inning and rolling from there.
“It’s all about just playing together,” Lucey said. “Being a team. It’s all about being a teammate. It’s about team effort. If someone makes an out we jump back on it. Everyone gets back on that horse.”
Kass & Co. never really got off the horse. After plating a run on a fielder’s choice to make it a 1-0 lead with two outs in the top of the first, Kass & Co. laced four consecutive singles to make it 4-0. Men’s Hair House answered with a three-run bomb from Ross Olson in the bottom of the first, but that’s as close as it would get.
Kass & Co. added two more in the top of the second behind three singles and two sacrifice flies in the inning and four more in the top of third on three singles and two doubles. The big blow came in the top of the fourth when Lucey smoked a grand slam to make it a 14-3 game.
Kass & Co. poured it on in the top of fifth, plating 16 runs on 15 hits in the inning, only one of which was a home run. All 12 players that stepped to the plate for Kass & Co. in the championship game had at least one RBI. Seven batters had at least two.
“This is a great feeling.” Lucey said. “We had a great team effort. Everybody had a fun time. This is a great day for Dubuque, Iowa.”
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Chris Murphy at (701) 241-5548
