{"id":4116,"date":"2013-08-12T15:47:49","date_gmt":"2013-08-12T15:47:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nafafastpitch.com\/?p=4116"},"modified":"2013-10-15T23:41:27","modified_gmt":"2013-10-15T23:41:27","slug":"aa-major-kegel-black-knights-celebrate-anniversary-year-with-world-championship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nafafastpitch.com\/?p=4116","title":{"rendered":"AA-Major Kegel Black Knights celebrate anniversary year with world championship"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><!--more-->Kegel Black Knights celebrate anniversary year with world championship Written by Bob on August 10th, 2013  kegel.warne.safe.104web Kegel\u2019s Mitch Warne slides safely into home plate with the winning run in the Black Knights 2-1 victory over the Winterset A\u2019s in the NAFA AA-Major World Series Championship. Warne scored the game-winner on a wild pitch by A\u2019s pitcher Marshall Kronk (45) in the bottom of the seventh. Photo By BOB OTTO   DES MOINES, Iowa \u2013 Year after unfailing year the Kegel Black Knights have fielded a men\u2019s fastpitch softball team \u2013 this year marks their 30th anniversary.   And what better way to celebrate such a remarkable achievement than winning an international championship. The Black Knights of Fargo did just that late Friday night by defeating a tough band of Winterset, Iowa A\u2019s 2-1 to claim the North American Fastpitch Association AA-Major World Series title.  For Matt Darling \u2013 selected the AA-Major Most Valuable Player \u2013 this was his first NAFA championship.    \u201cThis is so nice to come out here and win this,\u201d said Darling who had retired for a couple years, but was added to Kegel\u2019s roster for the tournament. \u201cThis division had a lot of good pitchers, so to put up some decent runs is a credit to everybody on our team.\u201d   PITCHERS DUEL But getting runs in this game was hard to come by as the game settled into a pitchers duel between Kegel\u2019s veteran Doug Hoffman and Winterset\u2019s 19-year-old Marshall Kronk of Australia.  It was a match-up of two of the hardest throwing hurlers in the tournament. Hoffman went four innings and suffered only one damage when Kronk \u2013 big, strong and a dangerous power hitter \u2013 drilled a single into left field in the third inning, scoring Jason Darling, who reached on a single to give the A\u2019s a 1-0 advantage.  But the inning was marred by an earlier contentious play at the plate. Shortstop and leadoff hitter, Bryce Kay, led off with a single and stole second. Then Darling lifted a fly ball to right that dropped in with Kay racing around third trying to score.   kay.out.85web Winterset A\u2019s Bryce Kay tries to score but was called out on the tag by Kegel catcher Bob Lanoie. Photo By BOB OTTO CLOSE BUT OUT Kay tried to slide around the sweeping tag of Kegel catcher Bob Lanoie, but was called out on the play \u2013 setting off a fiery dispute from Kaye and the A\u2019s bench.   \u201cIt was a close play at home, but I thought I was safe,\u201d said Kay, who played brilliantly on defense and was selected to the All-World team. \u201cIt would have been a different game (and) tied 2-2 (in the seventh) if the call was safe, but we didn\u2019t hit and Kegel\u2019s a real good team and ranked high (in the world).\u201d  Kegel \u2013 ranked No. 8 by the International Softball Congress (ISC) \u2013 tied the game in their half of the third on a single by Matt Darling (2 for 4), scoring Mike Lewis, who walked and reached second on a passed ball.  KEGEL CAPITALIZES From then on the game turned into a stubborn battle between Kronk and Sebastian Gervasutti, who relieved Hoffman in the fifth. Gervasutti struck out seven and allowed but two hits over the final three innings, while Kronk struck out five and allowed one walk, a hit, and a wild pitch.  But those three sequences of events came back to haunt Kronk and the A\u2019s, and decided the game in the bottom of the seventh.   After Kronk had struck out Bryan Erstad and Mike Lewis, Mitch Warne reached on a walk. Up to the plate stepped the dangerous Darling. He promptly singled, sending Warne racing to third.   Kronk, now facing shortstop Tom Owen, unleashed a wild pitch that sent Warne racing home and sliding across the plate with the winning run. A dejected Kronk walked off the field while Kegel began to celebrate their 30th anniversary World Series championship.  But Kronk \u2013 the most talented young hurler in the AA-Major \u2013 drew praise from Kegel manager Jon Lewis.   \u201cWe knew when they threw Kronk it would be a tough game all the way,\u201d Lewis said. \u201cThis was a great pitchers duel. It looked to me that it would take somebody hitting a home run, or a mistake to decide it. You have to capitalize on the mistakes if there are any.\u201d   Kronk \u2013 who was the unanimous selection for the Most Valuable Pitcher award with his 3-1 record \u2013 allowed the two runs on five hits, four walks and 11 strikeouts.   \u201cMarshall was outstanding,\u201d said Winterset manager Gary Christensen, who will now take the A\u2019s to the ISC World Tournament with an opening game Saturday night. \u201cThis was an outstanding tournament for us. This is what we came for, to find out where we stand in the world with some of the better teams. \u201cWe have nothing to feel bad about.\u201d ON TO THE ISC Kegel, which lost a game in pool play, will also move on to the ISC World Tournament, and Lewis feels the AA-Major was good preparation to battle some of the world\u2019s best teams.  \u201cI think we jelled after the first couple of games,\u201d he said. \u201cThis helps us go into the ISC and gives us a little confidence.\u201d  Kegel (4-0) marched through the AA-Major bracket beating the Lacey A\u2019s 9-1; West Fargo Knights 8-2 and Winterset 8-4 in the winners bracket final to reach the title game.  Winterset (3-2) knocked off two of the tournament\u2019s favorites, New Image 2-1 and the Cal-State Builders, 2-1. Then after losing to Kegel in the winners bracket, they defeated Huron Wellness (5-2) in the losers bracket final, 6-2.  TOUGH COMPETITOR In that game, Kronk had to come out in the seventh inning from leg cramps. It appeared doubtful that he would be able to pitch the championship as he limped off. But he was adamant he would.  \u201cIt\u2019s the championship,\u201d he said before the game. \u201cWe don\u2019t know what will happen in the ISC (World Tournament), but we have a chance to win this.\u201d  Both Winterset and Kegel had several players selected to the All-World team. From Kegel, Tom Owen, Brian Lammers and Doug Hoffman were chosen. While Bryce Kay and Jason Darling made this select company.  Darling and Kronk received the most valuable player and pitcher awards. And Darling suspects a few more such honors will be coming Kronk\u2019s way in the future.  \u201cI give him a ton of credit,\u201d Darling said. \u201cHe was on his game and his riser was moving. He\u2019s a young kid and he\u2019s got a bright future.\u201d NEVER QUIT BALL CLUB Kay, who has played for Winterset three years, said that he was proud of his team for its run in the AA-Major in which many relegated the A\u2019s as having a Cinderella\u2019s chance of claiming the championship.    \u201cWe have great chemistry,\u201d he said. \u201cWe keep pushing and pushing. We were an underdog and came in second. I thought we did real good for ourselves this weekend.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nafafastpitch.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4116"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nafafastpitch.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nafafastpitch.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nafafastpitch.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nafafastpitch.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4116"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.nafafastpitch.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4116\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4337,"href":"https:\/\/www.nafafastpitch.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4116\/revisions\/4337"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nafafastpitch.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4116"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nafafastpitch.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4116"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nafafastpitch.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4116"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}