Another Early Bird in the books
A batter at Corky’s Early Bird Softball Classic makes solid contact on a pitch that wound up going for a home run. Staff photo by Johnnie Phillips
The 46th annual Corky’s Early Bird Softball Classic took place in Owatonna over the weekend with 101 teams from across the country traveling to Steele County.
The warm weekend weather created an optimal environment for some spectacular softball games with four teams walking away as champions.
The following is a breakdown from each bracket.
Open Division
T’s 13 (Omaha, Nebraska) came to play this season in the Open Division and won the bracket by finishing 5-1. The Empire Dirt Dogs (Wallingford, Connecticut) gave the champs a 32-21 beating in their first matchup, but T’s 13 ultimately prevailed in the rematch to take down the bracket.
MSP C-Division
Minnesota’s own Twin River Cabinets (Coon Rapids) broke the state’s drought at Corky’s Early Bird Softball Classic this season by beating Adel, Iowa’s Iconic Apparel for first in a two-game series. Twin River Cabinets wrapped its tournament with a 6-1 record en route to the win.
MSP D-Division
Iowa got its revenge in the D-Division where Nomads/EIWR took down Montevideo, Minnesota’s Dewey’s for first place in a one-game, 16-13 thriller to finish a perfect 7-0.
MSP E/Rec Division
The final bracket was won by possibly the furthest team from home when Cranston, Rhode Island’s East Coast team came to town to knock off Appleton, Wisconsin’s Make A Wag Mutts. In a one-game, 7-6 finish.