Wildhorse Showdown draws 15 teams

Neither the coronavirus nor near 100-degree temperatures could keep the nearly 200 co-ed softball players from competing in the 6th Annual Wildhorse Showdown Softball Tournament last weekend at the Amundson Sports Complex at Plains. When the infield dust settled on Sunday, it was the I'd Hit That team of Spokane that nabbed the championship, defeating the Pandemic Warriors of Pablo 19-13 in the gold bracket.

Fifteen teams - five more than last year - participated in the three-day tournament, including players from Plains, Thompson Falls, Noxon, Pablo, Arlee, Missoula, Kalispell, Troy, Spokane, and Libby. A team from Browning failed to show, but there was no time to get a replacement from one of the three teams on a waiting list, said Holly Blood, one of the organizers of the competition and once again a member of Hammer Time, one of three Plains teams in this year's tournament.

"This is by far the most teams we've ever had, almost double the past years," said Blood. "Everyone is eager to play with most things being canceled," she added. Blood coordinated the competition with Plains resident Cory Ovitt, captain of Accuflow, sponsored by Accuflow Plumbing, which took second place in the silver bracket after losing the championship game 17-16 to Day Drunk of Missoula. 

There were four pools of play. The gold bracket consisted of the seven teams that won the most games in the Friday and Saturday games. Blood said that four teams went undefeated with the others having a 2-1 record. Eight teams competed in Sunday's silver bracket. Teams in each bracket played each other at least once, vying for seeding in Sunday's single elimination. Cost to play was $250 a team. The money went to the Wildhorse Sports Association, the nonprofit organization responsible for the ball fields at Amundson Sports Complex. The money goes to pay for upkeep and maintenance of the complex. Organizers normally held a Home Run Derby, but couldn't this year because of the high number of teams involved.

Organizers had to submit a detailed plan to the Sanders County Board of Health, which was approved a week prior the tournament, according to Blood. Teams had to sanitize dugouts between games and sanitize balls each half inning. Bleachers were removed and teams that camped had to do it together with distance between each group. No handshakes were allowed.

The tournament began Friday evening with Lei Out of Thompson Falls stomping Accuflow 24-6, and Hammer Time, sponsored by Studs Building and Home, defeating Rock Solid, also of Plains, 12-11. Games resumed on Saturday at 7 a.m. and went until nearly 9 p.m. Rock Solid lost all three pool games and its sole game Sunday. Hammer Time had three wins and one loss and lost 15-5 to Babes and Ballers, a Kalispell team, on Sunday, which was its only win. Accuflow had two wins and one loss during pool play. Brady Ovitt of Accuflow hit an in the park grand slam in a 14-4 victory against Day Drunk on Saturday. Lei Out won all three pool games, but lost in Sunday's gold bracket 27-24 to I'd Hit That. Soft Serves, comprised of players from Libby, Troy and Noxon, had two wins and one loss in pool play, but were defeated 12-11 by NGU of Missoula in gold play. The Leftovers of Noxon went 1-2 and lost to Accuflow 19-9 on Sunday.

Master Batters of Missoula went 1-2 Saturday and lost 20-3 to Brew Crew of Arlee in the silver bracket Sunday. Brew Crew went 1-2 in pool play. Red's Brew Jays of Missoula had three wins and one loss over the weekend. Fry Bread of Pablo had two wins and two losses for the weekend. The Pandemic Warriors had four victories and one loss, taking second place in the gold bracket. NGU had three wins and one loss over the weekend.

"The tourney went real well and hopefully there will be one in 2021," said Ovitt, who's had a team every year and has come close to taking it all a couple times. Blood said scheduling was more of a challenge this year because of the additional teams, especially with the last minute no-show. She said it was the most games they've packed into a weekend, but she felt it was a success.