PebbleCreek’s “B” Division Team in support of the “C” Championship Team
Dan Rea
Is it possible to witness a second miracle in a span of two years and can history repeat itself? The answer is a resounding yes.
Two years ago up in the cool mountains of Pinetop, Arizona the first miracle on dirt occurred when the huge underdog PebbleCreek “C” Division (65 years of age and above) softball team competed in Pinetop’s annual Senior Softball Tournament. That “never say die” team won that tournament in dramatic fashion.
Two years later, on Father’s Day weekend 2015, aka Grandfathers Day considering the age of the team, history does repeat itself as PebbleCreek’s underrated “C” team wins again. The team sponsored by Craig Hauger’s Questar Financial Services and deftly managed by John Spencer, maintained its core of players from 2013 and added several new players to the roster in winning the championship in an eerily similar fashion to the 2013 team.
After winning two games and losing two games on Friday and Saturday, they were seeded fourth in Sunday’s single elimination format. They were faced with the daunting challenge of winning three consecutive games early Sunday morning. Two of those teams were seeded higher and had beaten them earlier. This identical scenario was déjà vu, all over again.
They won the first game against the fifth seeded team, but the second game posed a more difficult challenge as the number one seeded team that had previously beaten them on Saturday was up next. They played aggressive and well and hung on for the upset win. The championship game turned out to be another classic. Playing against the number two seed that had previously beaten them, the game was a tense, emotional struggle as the lead changed hands five times. Holding the opponent to only one run in their top of the seventh inning, PebbleCreek came up in the bottom of the seventh inning tied. In another gutsy performance, our golden boys of summer loaded the bases with one out and calmly knocked in the winning run for another miraculous and dramatic championship win!
Congratulations to the 2015 PebbleCreek “C” Championship team composed of the following individuals: Ted Wallace, Allan Jones, Al Gragnano, Steve Rustman, Norm Smith, Mark Roberts, Steve Fletcher, Jay Sabatello, Doug Schlenker, Rich Karp, Dick Gwilt, Al Chandler, Dennis Miazga, Ed Schnieder, Dan Rea, Bruce Otzmann and Manager John Spencer.
It cannot be overstated the effect and impact that the extraordinary level of enthusiasm and support shown by the players’ wives, friends and relatives who were in attendance had on the players and their ultimate win. By several accounts, the entire PebbleCreek contingent was a class act.
A special shout out to PebbleCreek’s “B” team (under 65 years of age) who was also sponsored by Questar Financial Services. They unfortunately were eliminated Saturday evening in the first elimination round. They played well as all games were close against some very elite teams in that division. More impressive was their support of the winning “C” team throughout the weekend.
It has become apparent that PebbleCreek softball teams have developed a winning tradition in recent years as both the “B” and the “C” teams have brought home several championships.
A lingering question remains—are we witnessing the beginning of a PebbleCreek dynasty? Check back in June 2016 for the answer. In the meantime—old guys still rule.