June 23, 2004
WILBER LIME WINS FIFTH INVITATIONAL TITLE
After losing its opening round game to The Bar of Appleton, Wilber Lime of Galesville came roaring back through the losers bracket, winning nine straight games including consecutive title game victories, 7-1 and 7-0, over that same Bar ball club to claim the championship of the 26th annual Rice Lake Invitational Aquafest Tournament. The Galesville squad had finished as tournament runner-up in 2003, previous Wilber Lime championships were in the years 1986, 1987, 1988, and 2000.
Following that 3-2 first game loss, Wilber bounced back to edge Rep and Baja’s of Wausau by that same 3-2 margin, defeated a second Wausau team, Loppnow’s/Webko, 11-1, scored 11 runs again in an 11-3 triumph over the Wanderoos Merchants, downed St. Paul Vanelli’s, 6-2, Village Inn of Hudson, 12-4, ABS-Villard of Villard, MN, 9-1, and the St. Paul East Siders, 7-1, to set up the championship showdown.
In championship game one veteran Wilber Lime hurler Bob Moore allowed just one run in 4 and two-thirds innings before giving way to Steve Gothard. Gothard retired seven straight Bar hitters to close out the win. The big offensive blow was a 6th inning grand slam home run by Wilber first baseman Dan Stuhr. Gothard allowed just three hits in posting a five inning shut out in game 2, as Limer’s shortstop Chuz Gamroth’s home run highlighted a five run fifth inning.
The Bar, after their opening round win against Wilber Lime, defeated Vanelli’s, 2-1, East Siders, 4-0 and 4-3. Blair Ezekial and Gerold Long each had 2-1 pitching records for the Appleton club.
The only local entry, the Rice Lake Orangemen, had an opening round 5-3 win over Loppnow’s/Webko, highlighted by Noah Anderson’s two-out, two-run seventh inning home run. The Orangemen then lost consecutive games to ABS-Villard, 6-5, Osceola Budweiser, 14-2, and Pines Ballroom of Bloomer, 12-3.
Selected to the all-tournament team were infielders Dan Stuhr of Wilber Lime, Karl Shimilunis of The Bar, Todd Hayden of Village Inn, and brothers Zach and Luke Goring of ABS-Villard. Outfielders named Al Stuhr of Wilber Lime, Jason Ellingson of Budweiser, Jerry Ball of St. Paul PBI, and Jeff Mataczynski of Village Inn. The all-tourney designated hitter award went to Chris Meyers of East Siders and the utility player award to Bliar Ezekial of The Bar. The catchers selected were Troy Lessman of Budweiser and Jim Marshall of Evansville Bowl, and the pitching staff consisted of Steve Gothard of Wilber Lime, Gerold Long of The Bar, and Wayne Petrie of East Siders.
Gothard was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player.
One additional note: In his team’s 2-0 opening round loss to the St. Paul East Siders, Evansville pitcher and former Rice Lake resident Bryan Lathrop recorded a total of 29 strikeouts.
| Order of Finish | ||
| 1 | Wilber Lime, Galesville WI | 9-1 |
| 2 | The Bar, Appleton WI | 4-2 |
| 3 | East Siders, St. Paul MN | 3-2 |
| 4 | ABS-Villard, Villard MN | 3-2 |
| 5 | Budweiser, Osceola WI | 5-2 |
| Village Inn, Hudson WI | 2-2 | |
| 7 | Vanelli's, St. Paul MN | 2-2 |
| PBI, West St. Paul MN | 2-2 | |
| 9 | Pines Ballroom, Bloomer WI | 3-2 |
| Evansville Bowl, Evansville WI | 2-2 | |
| Fisher Group, Mankato MN | 1-2 | |
| Wanderoos Merchants, Wanderoos WI | 1-2 | |
| 13 | Rep & Baja's, Wausau WI | 1-3 |
| Rice Lake Orangemen, Rice Lake WI | 1-3 | |
| 15 | Line-X, La Crosse WI | 1-2 |
| Loppnow's/Webko, Wausau WI | 0-3 | |
| Black Diamond Stables, Denmark WI | 0-3 | |
| Happy Hollow, Eau Claire WI | 0-3 |
Game Results
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1. Budweiser 6, Happy Hollow Fastpitch 0 2. East Siders 2, Evansville Bowl 0 (13 innings) 3. Village Inn 6, Black Diamond Stables 4 4. Wanderoos Merchants 3, Pines Ballroom 1 5. Rice Lake Orangemen 5, Loppnow’s/Webko 3 6. PBI 5, Line-X 0 7. The Bar of Appleton 3, Wilber Lime 2 8. Vanelli’s 4, Rep & Baja’s 2 9. Fisher Group 3, Budweiser 2 10. ABS-Villard 6, Rice Lake Orangemen 5 11. Evansville Bowl 8, Happy Hollow Fastpitch 3 12. Pines Ballroom 15, Black Diamond Stables 4 13. Budweiser 14, Rice Lake Orangemen 2 14. Line-X 7, Loppnow’s/Webko 0 15. Wilber Lime 3, Rep and Baja’s 2 16. Evansville Bowl 12, Black Diamond Stables 0 17. Pines Ballroom 3, Happy Hollow Fastpitch 2 18. Rep and Baja’s 8, Line-X 1 19. Wilber Lime 11, Loppnow’s/Webko 1 20. Budweiser 8, Rep and Baja’s 5
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21. Pines Ballroom 12, Rice Lake Orangemen 3 22. East Siders 4, Fisher Group 3 23. Village Inn 9, Wanderoos Merchants 5 24. ABS-Villard 8, PBI 1 25. The Bar of Appleton 2, Vanelli’s 1 26. PBI 5, Evansville Bowl 3 27. Vanelli’s 7, Pines Ballroom 3 28. Budweiser 10, Fisher Group 5 29. Wilber Lime 11, Wanderoos Merchants 3 30. East Siders 5, Village Inn 4 (11 innings) 31. The Bar of Appleton 4, ABS-Villard 0 32. Budweiser 10, PBI 5 33. Wilber Lime 6, Vanelli’s 2 34. ABS-Villard 18, Budweiser 5 35. Wilber Lime 12, Village Inn 4 36. Wilber Lime 9, ABS-Villard 1 37. The Bar of Appleton 4, East Siders 3 38. Wilber Lime 7, East Siders 1 39. Wilber Lime 7, The Bar of Appleton 1 40. Wilber Lime 7, The Bar of Appleton 0
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18 Teams Set for Aquafest Invitational
Thirteen teams from Wisconsin and five from Minnesota comprise the field of teams for the 26th Rice Lake Invitational Men’s Fastpitch Tournament to be held June 18-20, once again in conjunction with the city’s annual Aquafest celebration. Games begin Friday evening.
Two-time defending champion Pate Bonding Industries of West St. Paul as well as last year’s runner-up and four time champion Wilber Lime of Galesville are once again entered.
The lone local entry will be the Rice Lake Lake Orangemen, the only squad to have competed in each of the 25 previous meets. The Orangemen will play one of three Friday night games, a 9:30 contest against Loppnow’s Bar/Webko, Inc. of Wausau at Bob Curtis Field. Happy Hollow of Eau Claire initiates tournament play with an 8:00 clash with Budweiser of Osceola, also on the Curtis diamond. The third contest pits Pines Ballroom of Bloomer against the Wanderoos Merchants at Tolly Steinert Field at 8:30 p.m.
Play resumes Saturday morning at 9:30 a.m., with Evansville Bowl opposing the East Siders from St. Paul on the Curtis diamond. At that same time at Steinert Field Black Diamond Stable of Denmark takes on Village Inn of Hudson. At Curtis, 11:15, Pate Bonding meets Line-X of West Salem, while also at 11:15 at Steinert Wilber Lime takes on The Bar of Appleton, and at John Marcon Field Rep and Baja’s of Wausau will battle Vannelli’s of St. Paul. Rounding out opening round action Fisher Group of Mankato, Minnesota squares off against the Budweiser-Happy Hollow winner at 1:00 at Curtis and at that same time at Steinert the Orangemen-Loppnow’s/Webko winner will do battle with ABS-Villard, of Villard, Minnesota.