JANESVILLE, MN - In what is being hailed as the greatest kickball competition since the Wichita Ball-Kicking Festival of 1896, the Young Guns of Janesville thoroughly dismantled their opponent not once, but twice to sweep the day's events and secure their first and second KickBowl titles in team history.
KickBowl I proved no match for the contenders as the Young Guns used their finesse and defense to hold their opponents to only 7 runs. The Young Guns sent the challengers down 1-2-3 in the first inning and they were not able to recover after that. Errors in the field, as well as on the basepaths, were the main reasons why their team sucked so bad.
Perhaps the most dazzling play of the game came in the bottom of the ninth inning. With Slazzy on second and one out, a slow dribbler was kicked toward second base. Joe Joyce fielded the ball and got the out at first. With no regard for human life, Slazzy rounded third and tried to score. The ball was thrown toward the plate, but missed the catcher - rolling to the backstop. MarQ picked up the ball and threw with all his might and plastered Slazzy in the chest as he tried sliding into home - ten feet away from the base. A grand celebration ensued. Cheers could be heard from blocks away. And for no reason at all, Bryan was hoisted up on his teammates' shoulders'.
KickBowl II was one for the ages; an Instant Classic, if you will. Playing as the Visitors, the Young Guns put up 2 quick runs in the top of the first, but the other guys scored 3 in the bottom half of the inning, giving them their first lead of the afternoon. The early July heat was doing a number on the players from both teams as several heated exchanges took place throughout the middle innings.
Although they were down 11-6 in the 4th inning, the Young Guns would not be denied. The screws were tightened on defense and everything started to click. Slowly, they chiseled at the lead and found themselves tied 13-13 in the middle of the sixth. Three unearned runs were given up in the bottom of the sixth, putting the score at 16-13 in favor of the opponents. The Young Guns only managed a single run in the seventh, but held the challengers scoreless in their half of the inning.
Suddenly, the wheels came off for the hated adversaries. The Young Guns set the record for runs in one inning when they rattled off 12 runs to put them ahead 26-16. Two more insurance runs in the ninth put the game nearly out of reach. The opposition managed to score only three runs in the bottom of the ninth, giving the Young Guns their second championship of the day, and in team history.
