SOFTBALL: Comeback carries Falcons to Nokomis crown
</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[Down 7-1 in the fifth inning of the Nokomis Homecoming Fastpitch Softball Tournament's championship game, the Pinckneyville Falcons stormed all the way back to avenge an earlier loss to Donnewald Budweiser and win 8-7 on catcher Adam Barczewski's walk-off RBI single in the seventh inning.
Tournament MVP Hayden Hicks had tied the game just moments earlier with one of his seven hits in ten weekend at-bats. The Falcons were beaten 9-2 on a two-hitter by Donnewald Bud in their first game of the event on Saturday, but then won four straight games the remainder of the weekend to claim the title.
"Nokomis has been a tough tournament for a long time and we're real happy to win it," said player-coach Eric Saunders. "I thought we played really well. We had contributions from everyone that don't always show up in the box score. We played a lot of small ball and had a lot of clutch hits."
Falcons pitcher Mike Godar (2-0) picked up Most Valuable Pitcher honors for the event, notching wins over Black & Gold (Hermann, MO) and Kelso Fastpitch.
John Kiselewski was the winning pitcher in the championship against Donnewald Budweiser, coming on in relief of Bryant Hale. Hicks (1-3, RBI), Barczewski (2-4, RBI), Saunders (2-3), M. Godar (1-3, RBI), Steve Godar (2-3, 3 RBI), Justin Jackson (1-3, RBI), Rick Kasban (1-4) and Garrick Hale (1-3) all had hits in the game.
"Hayden (Hicks) kept coming through with big hits and Garrick (Hale) hit the ball well also," Saunders added. "Adam (Barczewski) also deserves a lot of credit with the game-winner and catching 31 innings in some tough conditions."
After the dreadful opener on Saturday, the Falcons bounced back to beat Black & Gold 5-2 as the offense came to life. The victory left Pinckneyville at 1-1 in their pool, good for second place.
Saunders (1-3, RBI), Kiselewski (1-1), Jackson (1-3, HR, 2 RBI), S. Godar (1-3), Hicks (1-1, RBI) and G. Hale (1-2, RBI) all reached base with hits.
Bryant Hale got the first win for the Falcons on elimination Sunday and Hicks remained perfect at the plate through three games in a 9-2 victory against the Sullivan Hurricanes.
Hicks (3-3, RBI), Saunders (2-3, 2 RBI), Jackson (1-3), Kiselewski (1-3), Kasban (1-1), G. Hale (1-3, 2 RBI) and Barczewski (1-2) supplied the hits on offense.
M. Godar helped the Falcons reach the title game with his performance in the circle against Kelso, a game Pinckneyville won 4-3 with a ten-hit attack.
M. Godar (1-3, RBI), Jackson (1-3), S. Godar (1-2), Kiselewski (1-2, 2 RBI), Kasban (1-3), Hicks (1-2), G. Hale (2-3) and Matt Mason (1-3, RBI) accounted for the Pinckneyville hits.
The Falcons have this week off before taking part in the St. Charles Tribe Invite July 21 and 22.