Bloomington turned on the offense after riding its pitching

~ The Stix scored 11 runs to capture the Klassic championship.

Pitching is considered the cornerstone of fastpitch softball.

The 11 shutouts and additional seven games that featured the losing team scoring just one run at the three-day Kelso Klassic men's fastpitch tournament proved that theory. With their backs against the wall after a loss Saturday night, the Bloomington Stix showed a potent offense can also be a dangerous weapon.

Bloomington scored 32 runs in five wins Sunday to work its way through the losers bracket and capture its second Kelso Klassic title in four years. The Stix finished off the Vandalia (Ill.) Freight with an 11-3, six-inning rout to wrap up the title.

"This weekend we were kind of hit and miss," Stix first baseman Chris Delorit said. "We were lucky enough to put some runs together. We knew it would be tough to beat those guys."

Bloomington's shortstop Jason Lee tagged out Vandalia's Nick Casey at second base Sunday during the fourth inning of their first game in the championship round of the Kelso Klassic. (Fred Lynch)

The Stix got to the championship round by squeezing by Pete's Blues of Belleville, Ill., 3-0. Bloomington scored a run in the first inning and held on thanks to a no-hitter from starter Maxi Montero.

Bloomington scored a run in the first again in its first championship game against Vandalia and made it stick for a 1-0 win. In the second championship game, the Stix plated six runs thanks to a bases-clearing triple from Chad Seeman and a three-run home run from Jason Loe.

"When we score first I know we haven't lost a game yet," Seeman said. "It's so important, especially with the quality of pitchers we have. If we get an early lead we're in pretty good shape. When we struggle is when we get down."

Overall, the Stix outscored their opponents 41-11. Bloomington won by scores of 7-2, 10-0, 3-0, 1-0 and 11-3 on Sunday. Bloomington's lone loss was a 3-2 extra-inning loss.

The offensive explosion came against some strong pitching. Alan Meinhart, Vandalia's starter, is the Klassic pitching wins leader with a 28-8 record heading into this year's tournament. When the top pitchers are on their game in fastpitch, they can throw close to the equivalent of a 90 mph fastball, if not faster.

Bloomington's right fielder Doug Williams caught a Vandalia fly ball as second baseman Paul Montero covered on the play during the first game of the championship round of the Kelso Klassic on Sunday.

"Pick out a strike is your best plan," Seeman said of his approach. "You've got .3 or .4 seconds to the plate to think about it. It's quicker than Major League Baseball."

Added Delorit: "You have to be ready. Against a good pitcher like Meinhart you have to be on your toes. If you're not ready it will be a long day."

While the Stix's offense played a big part in their championship, the play of their deep pitching staff was also key. Montero threw 18 scoreless innings to earn the most valuable pitcher of the tournament. In the first championship game, Montero threw 5 2/3 scoreless innings before being removed.

Thomas Cameron finished out the first championship game and pitched the first two innings of the second championship game. Matt Tessore threw the final four innings for the win.

Montero and Tessore are both from Argentina, while Cameron is from New Zealand. All three pitchers are in their early 20s. The Stix also had veteran pitcher Bob Ginger if needed.

Bloomington starting pitcher Maxi Montero pitched in the first game of the championship round of the Kelso Klassic on Sunday.

"We have four good, quality pitchers we have confidence in," Seeman said. "[Montero[']s] been absolutely dynamite. We've got a lot of good pitchers, and with that I knew we could do it today."

Cameron was named the most valuable player of the tournament, thanks to his work on the mound as well as with the bat.

Bloomington has now won three tournaments in four tries this summer. The Stix plan to be back in the future to defend their Kelso title.

"I think the most important thing that brings us down here is the atmosphere," Delorit said. "That Midwest, small-town atmosphere. That's what fastpitch is all about. So to see all the fans, the trucks and cars filling the parking lot, it makes me proud being in front of people who are passionate about the sport."

Perhaps the biggest winner of the weekend was the weather. After years of rain and wet weather, the three days featured cool, mostly dry weather.

"Any time we get a dry weekend I'm happy," assistant tournament director Rick Heuring said. "We were due for a dry weekend."