Tigers Hold-Off Upstart Leftovers for 25+ Division Championship in Rocket City Labor Day Classic in Huntsville, Alabama

Huntsville Tigers 6, Chattanooga Leftovers 4

Submitted by Phil Ellis, Tournament Director

2021 saw the return of the 25+ Division at the Rocket City Classic in Huntsville, Alabama.  Four teams restarted the division this year.  Two teams were formed from members of the local Huntsville league.  One team from Kentucky returned since the last time the Classic hosted a 25+ Division.  And the fourth team was a new entry to the Classic, formed by members of the local Chattanooga 18+ league.

All teams played each other in Pool Play and rolled into a semi-final match, with the winners of the semi-final games playing for the championship on Monday.

The Kentucky Redbirds moved strongly through the pool games as the only undefeated team.  The two local teams guarded the middle of the pack with 2-1 (Huntsville Tigers) and 1-2 (Rocket City Royals) records.  The newest entry into the Classic, the Chattanooga Leftovers, went 0-3 through pool play and it wasn’t looking great for them.  But it was all part of the “Master Plan”.

Studying the format of the 25+ Division play, Chattanooga’s Ross Wagner decided to save their two best arms for when it counted.  And it worked to perfection.  While the Tigers beat their local brothers 9-1 in one semi-final game, the Leftovers stunned the #1 seed Kentucky Redbirds 8-4 in their semi-final game.

The Tigers took notice and did not take the Leftovers for granted during the Championship game.  The Tigers took the win 6-4 with game-tying runners on base for the Leftovers.