Pats declared champs after weather delays

IRVING – Mother Nature forced the championship game of the American Southwest Conference Softball Tournament to be cancelled. However, it did not keep the Patriots from winning its first ever conference championship.

On Sunday morning, the Patriots were declared the winner by virtue of a tie-breaker that was enacted due to unplayable conditions from Saturday’s thunderstorm.

The tie-breaker was head-to-head competition that had occurred between LC and the Patriots during the regular season and during the ASC tournament. The Patriots won four of the six meetings, which is what gave them the title according to ASC regulations that was set and approved by all ASC coaches prior to the season.

Second baseman Allison Hurt, of Houston, takes a fall while attempting to field a fly ball that landed just out of her reach during the American Southwest Conference Championship game on May 2 at Trinity View Park in Irving. The Louisiana College Lady Wildcats beat the Patriots in game one 6-0. Photo by Christy Grant

“That’s why they have these rules set in place, for situations like this. It’s no one’s fault that it rained the final game out so with the way the rules are, we were able to win the championship,” coach Mike Reed said. “It also shows how important it is to take regular season games and to win those because you might have this situation come up. So I am glad we were able to take care of business against LC earlier in the season.”

The Patriots lost 6-0 to Louisiana College at noon on Saturday, which forced a winner-takes-all game that immediately followed. That game got into the second inning and was tied 0-0 until lightning and heavy rain eventually postponed it.

According to a press release, play was scheduled to resume on Sunday afternoon, but due to overnight rains in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, all area fields were deemed unplayable and unsafe.

“Efforts were made to locate a playable field and complete the suspended title game, but heavy rains produced by the severe thunderstorms saturated fields in the Dallas-Fort Worth area,” said ASC Commissioner Amy Carlton in a press release. “Student-athlete safety issues coupled with a threat of more wet weather Sunday morning and soggy field conditions slow to improve within the available time frame moved the Conference, in consultation with both head coaches, to cancel the remainder of the tournament.”

Reed said he would have rather played the final game but the weather did not allow that to happen. However, he was happy to win the championship.

“I’m so happy for these girls because this group worked extremely hard for it and they deserved to be rewarded for their hard work,” Reed said. “Last season, our team fell one win shy of the conference championship and this was one of our goals starting the season and we finally got the hardware. Now we want the next hardware at the regional tournament.”

After the Patriots were announced the ASC Champions, 2009 All-ASC Tournament team was released. Kate Bell, Megan “Roo” Richardson and Whitney Wyly were all named to the team while Stacy Shepherd was named the ASC Tournament Most Valuable Player.

The NCAA West Regional Tournament is scheduled to start Thursday and Reed said that it will be played at either East Texas Baptist University or right here on campus for the second straight season. Reed will find out either late Sunday night or early Monday morning where the tournament is going to be at.

“We would love to play host to the regional tournament again, but if ETBU gets it, it is still close enough for our fans get to come see us and they don’t have to travel very far,” Reed said. “However, if we get it, I know our staff will be able to get things together and do a tremendous job just like they did last season.”

The winner of the west regional tournament advances to the NCAA Division III Softball World Series, which is slated to be played May 15-19 in Montclair, New Jersey.

By Jeremy Cotham Sports Editor