LIBERTY – For the Liberty Men’s softball championship, it all came down to two teams: Dominick’s versus AJD. In the first game, AJD came out on top in a close game, winning 12 to 11 over Dominick’s.

A light rain was falling Sunday morning as they started play, but that didn’t prevent both teams from coming out of the gate roaring. With home runs in the first inning by Will Malloy of AJD and Jason Arias of Dominick’s, the crowd thought we might be in for a high-scoring affair. Both teams settled down in the following inning, and everyone was treated to a closely competitive ball game, complete with friendly trash-talking. The score was either tied or separated by only one run at the completion of every inning all the way to the end of the game.

AJD secured the first win in the best of three series, they maintained their focus throughout the entire game, keeping errors to a minimum and making plays when needed.

GAME 2

The story of the second game between AJD and Dominick’s for the Liberty men’s softball championship was much different from the first. In this deciding game, AJD dominated Dominick’s to capture the title by a score of 30 to 12.

For Dominick’s, the second game was characterized by injuries and mental errors. A lack of concentration at critical moments in the game, allowed AJD to jump to a large lead that they would hold onto for the entire game.

That early deficit seemed to take the air out of the Dominick’s club, and by the time they were able to recover, it was too late. Despite their struggles in the outfield, Dominick’s did get a strong game from their shortstop Tommy Merton, who snagged a couple of ripped line drives. Offensively, Jason Arias was their strongest player at the plate, hammering 2 home runs and driving in 7 runs over the two games.

For AJD, it was a total team effort. The nucleus of the squad is the VanAken family: Dan, Bill, George, and George III. The bond they bring to the team is something that the rest of the players embrace. AJD played together as a team and not as individuals, proving the adage that it takes a team to win championships.     

Standouts for AJD were Will Malloy, who caught everything that was hit near him in center field, and at the plate hit 2 home runs, had 7 RBI’,s and two triples over both games. Logan Brundage also had a great day, particularly in the second game, but ended the entire day with 2 home runs and 7 RBI’s.

AJD was rewarded for their gritty, and seemingly mistake free play, with the championship trophy and knowing that they were the best of the best this season.