Wisonsin Team Storms To Blue Monster Smackdown Title

Written by Dennins Mahoney

The Oak Creek Storm, a Wisconsin-based team that first began as a travel team together six years ago, went out with a bang Sunday in Evanston.

Competing at the 14-and-under Blue Monster Smackdown tournament, the Storm buried the Lake Zurich Cougars 10-2 in an abbreviated championship contest when the tournament slaughter rule was put into effect.

The triumph marked the last game for the Storm as a travel squad, with the players moving on to the high school level beginning this fall.

Oak Creek scored three times in the first inning, four times in the third, and once in the fourth before pushing across two unearned runs in the home half of the fifth for an eight-run slaughter rule margin.

Pitchers Matt McCarty and Joey Richter pitched a combined four-hitter for the winners. D.J. Ellifson and Alec Kent each collected a single and a double for the Wisconsin champs, with both two-baggers coming as part of that three-run outburst in the first. R.J. Traxel also contributed a bases-loaded two-run single in the third,

Lake Zurich scored in the first inning on a Zach Bauman RBI double, and again in the third on Tom Morano's infield hit and an error.

Ellifson played a key role for the Storm in a 3-2 victory over the St. Joseph Bandits from central Illinois in the semifinals. He went the distance on the mound and allowed just four hits, and also drove in two runs with a triple and a sacrifice fly. The left-hander retired 13 consecutive hitters during one stretch, before St. Joseph rallied in the bottom of the seventh. Ellifson struck out Josh Kimbro with the tying run on second base to end the game.

In the other semifinal, the Cougars outscored the top-seeded Crystal Lake Bombers 10-6 behind Morano's three hits and two apiece by Bauman, Tyler Peterson and Mike Kingery. Kingery also earned a save on the mound in relief of starter Erick Smith.