Please see the Past Winners page for a complete list of tournament winners.
The 33rd annual Mitchell Grizzlies Cornfest Slo-Pitch Tournament was another huge success! With warm weather all weekend and the rain narrowly missing on Saturday, it allowed for the tournament to run smoothly with some very exciting and intense games. The beer tent was rocking on both Friday and Saturday nights and many slo-pitch enthusiasts stuck around for the championship games on Sunday. Below is a tournament summary of each division. The Grizzlies are looking forward to the 2011 Cornfest Tournament, with planning already underway and we look forward to seeing everyone again on August 19, 20 and 21, 2011.
Lets begin with the newest addition to the 33rd edition of Cornfest; the Ladies Rec. division. This bracket filled up early with teams and with the overwhelming support for the division it is here to stay. The Dolmage bracket was split into 2 divisions of 6 teams each; the top 8 teams overall moving on to the elimination round. The Manglers and Animal House finished 1st in their respective pools, however Animal House was upset in the semi-finals by the eventual winner Biddulph Penner. Biddulph Penner met the Manglers in the finals which was a very exciting game for all fans that were in attendance. We would like to thank all 12 teams that competed in this division and we are looking forward to potentially expanding this division in the future years.
With the split of the Ladies into two separate divisions, the Ladies Elite Division was able to be created with four teams. The Chessell division featured a round-robin style format which included Whoozeup, Rubberbands, Fired Up and Shooters. Fired Up finished first after pool play, but was upset in the undefeated game Sunday morning. Whoozeup defeated Fired Up giving them a bye to the finals where they would have to be beat twice in the finals. In the 3rd vs. 4th quarterfinal game the Rubberbands defeated the Shooters which advanced them to play Fired Up for a chance to take on Whoozeup in the Ladies Elite finals. Fired Up came out on top which allowed for a re-match of the Sunday morning undefeated game. Fired Up was able to defeat Whoozeup in the first game of the finals, but with Whoozeup having the advantage of having to be defeated twice they were able to defeat Fired Up in the second game of the final. We would like to congratulate Whoozeup on winning the Women’s Elite Division.
The Men’s Rec. Division was once again filled to capacity with a 32 team field playing a double knockout style tournament. If you lose early in this division and still have aspirations on winning this division you must come ready to play ball on Sunday. The Mitchell Coyotes marched their way through the winning side of the bracket beating Moose Knucklers, Team Clapp, Your F’in Out, Saints and Mitchell Padres giving themselves a birth in the finals where they would have to beat twice. The Pirates from Stratford made a valiant effort in trying to march their way up the losing bracket, after losing in the third round to the Putnam Padres, but fell short losing to the Mitchell Padres in the semi-finals. The Mitchell Coyotes and Mitchell Padres met in the finals as a re-match of the undefeated game with the Coyotes having to lose twice. The Mitchell Padres were able to beat their local rivals in both games to capture the Boyd division title. Finishing 4th were the Putnam Padres, 5th and 6th were the Saints and Clinton Cardinals and 7th and 8th were the Marauders and The Crutch respectively. The Mitchell Kamikazes defeated CPC in the Double Dummy Dusty Bowl finals. Thank you to all teams who competed in a highly competitive Men’s Rec. Division.
Last but not the least was the Men’s Elite Division, featuring 5 teams playing a round robin style tournament. This division featured the return of the Wolfpack, Giants and Doughboys, as well as two new teams; PSS and a group of players from the Mitchell and District Slo-Pitch League called the Underdogs. The Giants came out in 1st place from pool play with the defending champions Wolfpack finishing in 2nd. These two teams met Sunday morning with the winner advancing to the finals where they would have to be beat twice. The Wolfpack came out on top and would not lose again in the tournament claiming the Uniac Division title. In the 3rd and 4th place quarterfinal game, the Underdogs were able to upset the 3rd place Doughboys, advancing to the semi-finals against the Giants with a chance to play in the Elite Division Final. The semi final was a highly competitive and exciting game, with the Giants coming out on top and earning the chance to play the Wolfpack in the finals. The Giants were unable to knock off the higher seeded Wolfpack in a very close final game.
The Mitchell Grizzlies would like to thank all teams that competed in the 33rd Annual Cornfest tournament. We invite all teams back for the 2011 event and we look forward to hosting another enjoyable and competitive weekend of slo-pitch. Look for your tournament invitation around the beginning of June, or find all the details on our website, and remember to get your cheques in early to guarantee a spot as tournament openings are limited. Have fun and enjoy the upcoming ball season! Because of your continued support we are able to make significant contributions to Mitchell and the surrounding community, to the benefit of our sports organizations for years to come!