SOFTBALL: Schedule announced for 30-team tournament in Du Quoin

</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[A complete schedule of games has been released for the second annual 30-team girls' softball tournament to benefit Southern Illinois Area 15 Special Olympics, which comes to the Southern Illinois Center January 14-16.

The community has fully rallied in support of Mr. and Mrs. Bill Asbury--who founded the tournament last year--and to Jo Dodd, the Area 15 director of Special Olympics here in Southern Illinois. Working alongside them is Jacob Emling, an umpire himself who is organizing an army of volunteer tournament officials to oversee the play of 30 teams in 76 games of the three-day tournament.

The organizing board includes Bill Asbury, Jacob Emling, Jenny Schneider, Mike Crow, Doug Baue, Jill Asbury, Linda Wunder, Jo Dodd and Johnnie Dodd.

Play will begin Friday afternoon at 5 p.m. and will continue at 7 a.m. on Saturday morning and 7 a.m. on Sunday. Opening ceremonies will be held at noon on Saturday. Play is expected to go past midnight on each of the three days.

Teams will enter the cavernous Southern Illinois Center for opening ceremonies through a smoke-filled tunnel. Du Quoin baseball great Bryant George will greet the teams. Du Quoin Evening Call's Jeff Profitt--who is recovering from a stroke--has been asked to attend because of his love of the game. Mayor John Rednour and Knight Hawk Coal Co. CEO Steve Carter--a major sponsor--are expected for the opening ceremonies. There will be dozens of prizes for participants.

Teams are paying an entry fee of $400. All of it will benefit the Special Olympics. Some $35,000 has already been raised from the tournament.

After last year's hugely successful tournament, 190 teams have asked to participate this year. Entries were limited to 30 teams and many of those competed last year. Tournament founders have received inquiries from between eight and 10 states--Missouri, Indiana, Iowa, Wisconsin--you name it. Twenty-two teams from Chicagoland wanted to come. Two of those teams are in. The entry fee was not an issue, nor were the dozens of rooms that are being booked across the region to house the girls, their coaches, parents and friends.

Knight Hawk and Ward Chrysler are the chief sponsors. Dozens of others have asked to be sponsors.

The 65-foot ceiling of the Southern Illinois Center and the 191-foot reach to the center field net will lend itself to some great indoor softball during the three days of play. Last year, no more than a dozen girls were able to homer out to the net.

The tournament is divided into age groups: 9 and 10; 11 and 12; 13 and 14; and 15 and 16.

Large vendors catering to the sport of girls' softball will surround the interior of the center.

<u>2011 Southern Illinois Indoor Fastpitch Softball Tournament</u>

<u>January 14-16</u>

<u>Southern Illinois Center, Du Quoin State Fairgrounds, Du Quoin, IL</u>

<u>Friday, January 14, 2011</u>

FIELD AGE TEAMS

5:00 PM

1 10u Rippers v S I Streak

2 16u Wildfire v Dirt Dawgs

6:00 PM

1 10u Dirt Diamonds v So. Express

2 14u Super Sonics v Dirt Diamonds

7:00 PM

1 12u Dirt Dawgs 99 v So. Express 99

2 14u Lady Bullets v Rippers

8:00 PM

1 12u Hopkins County Heat v Rippers 98

2 14u So. Express 97 v Red Bud Crush

9:00 PM

1 12u Dirt Diamonds v Dirt Dawgs

2 16u Heartland Kids v S I Phoenix

10:00 PM

1 14u S I Dirt Dawgs v Dirt Devils

2 16u Southern Steel v Lady Bullets

11:00 PM

1 14u Sports Direct v Purple Crush

2 16u So. Express 95 vs Dirt Diamonds

MIDNIGHT

2 16u Dirt Devils v So. Express 96

<u>Saturday, January 15, 2011</u>

FIELD AGE TEAMS

7:00 AM

1 14 Sports Direct vs Super Sonics

2 12 Downstate Rippers vs Dirt Diamonds

8:15 AM

1 14 Purple Crush vs S I Dirt Dawgs

2 12 Hopkins County Heat vs S I Dirt Dawgs

9:30 AM

1 10 Southern Express vs Southern Illinois Streak

2 12 Winner Game 1 vs S I Dirt Dawgs 99

10:45 AM

1 10 Downstate Rippers vs Dirt Diamonds

2 12 Winner Game 2 vs Southern Express 99

1:00 PM

1 14 Winner Game 1 vs Dirt Devils

2 16 S I Lady Bullets vs Dirt Diamonds

2:15 PM

1 10 Winner Game 1 vs Winner Game 2

2 16 Dirt Devils vs S I Dirt Dawgs

3:30 PM

1 10 Loser Game 1 vs Loser Game 2

2 16 Winner Game 2 vs Southern Express 95

4:45 PM

1 10 Winner Game 3 vs Loser Game 4

2 16 Heartland Kids vs Southern Steel

6:00 PM

1 14 Downstate Rippers vs Dirt Diamonds

2 16 Winner Game 2 vs Southern Express 96

7:15 PM

1 10 Championship Game

2 12 Loser Game 3 vs Loser Game 2

8:30 PM

1 10 If Necessary

2 12 Loser game 1 vs Loser Game 3

9:45 PM

1 14 Winner Game 2 vs Southern Express 97

2 16 Highway 51 Wildfire vs S I Phoenix

11:00 PM

1 14 Red Bud Crush vs Lady Bullets

2 16 Loser Game 1 vs Loser game 4

12:15 AM

1 14 Loser Game 1 vs Loser game 4

2 16 Loser Game 2 vs Loser Game 6

<u>Sunday, January 16</u>

FIELD AGE TEAMS

07:00 AM

1 14 Loser game 2 vs Loser Game 6

2 12 Winner Game 5 vs Winner Game 6

08:15 AM

1 14 Loser Game 3 vs Winner Game 7

2 12 Winner Game 4 vs Winner Game 3

09:30 AM

1 14 Winner Game 8 vs Loser Game 5

2 16 Loser Game 3 vs Winner Game 7

10:45 AM

1 14 Winner Game 3 vs Winner Game 4

2 16 Winner Game 8 vs Loser Game 5

12:00 PM

1 14 Winner Game 5 vs Winner Game 6

2 12 Loser Game 8 vs Winner Game 7

1:15 PM

1 16 Winner Game 3 vs Winner Game 4

2 12 Championship Game

2:30 PM

1 16 Winner Game 5 vs Winner Game 6

2 12 If Necessary

3:45 PM

1 16 Loser Game 12 vs Winner Game 9

2 14 Loser Game 12 vs Winner Game 9

5:00 PM

1 16 Winner Game 10 vs Loser Game 11

2 14 Winner Game 10 vs Loser Game 11

6:15 PM

1 16 Winner Game 11 vs Winner Game 12

2 14 Winner Game 11 vs Winner Game 12

7:30 PM

1 16 Winner Game 13 vs Winner Game 14

2 14 Winner Game 13 vs Winner Game 14

8:45 PM

1 16 Loser Game 15 vs Winner Game 16

2 14 Loser Game 15 vs Winner Game 16

10:00 PM

1 16 Championship Game

2 14 Championship Game

11:15 PM

1 16 If Necessary

2 14 If Necessary