Lebanon, Oh.—Leadoff hitter Scott Stout went 9-for-15 with four walks, and Jarred Barker hit a robust .875 to power Treefrog Softball Club/Independent Sheet Metal to their third consecutive championship in the competitive division of the Legends Remembered Tournament on Saturday, June 2^nd at Warren County Armco Park.

Treefrog/ISM routed SOP/RJM Consulting/Slummgear 11-4 in the deciding game of the five-team round robin affair to wrap up a 4-0 day.  The champions were never really threatened on their way to the title as they disposed of Young & Hung 7-3, Cobras 19-11 and RSC/ALM Easton 13-3 in five innings prior to polishing off Treefrog.

The Cobras were the only team to score in double digits against the winners, who outscored their four opponents by a combined 52-21 margin.

Treefrog picked up a sponsor trophy and a set of t-shirts for their efforts.  They had already qualified for state and national tournament play.

Early scoring, solid pitching and defense, and the offensive spark provided by Scott Stout and Jarred Barker helped carry Treefrog to the title, said manager Jeff Allen.

“We played good ball,” said Allen.  “We scored early and that helped in a lot of our games.”

Treefrog actually never trailed in their third and fourth games, and led from the 3^rd inning on in game one.  Against the Cobras in game two they scored seventeen runs over the last four innings to blow open a 2-2 contest.

“Darryl Barnett was our pitcher and he worked ahead in the count and had a good tournament,” said Allen.  Barnett held three of his team’s four victims to four runs or less.

Shortstop Jeffery Clemons and outfielders Scott Stout, Kyle Stout and Jarred Barker anchored the defense.

“Jeffery played shortstop and did a really great job,” said Allen.  “He’s very consistent and doesn’t miss a thing.  He just graduated from high school.  He doesn’t make any mistakes.  He’s just solid and covers a lot of ground.”

Left fielder Scott Stout “went and got a couple of good balls,” and right fielder Kyle Stout “made a tremendous catch that saved a couple runs in the first game against Young & Hung,” said Allen.  “That was a big turning point.  And Jarred Barker is our center-fielder and he covers a lot of ground.  He runs like a deer.”

Scott Stout and Barker also paced the offense, said Allen.

“Scott was our leadoff hitter and went 9-for-15 (.600) for the tournament and had four walks.  He was on base all day,” said Allen.  “And Jarred leads our team in just about every offensive statistic and batted 14-for-16 (.875) and scored nine runs in just four games.”

Other hitting leaders included Mike Smith at .667, Jeffery Clemons at .643 and Darryl Barnett at .600.

Allen said Smith also made a big contribution by playing out of position for Treefrog.

“He’s normally our catcher, but had to play some 1^st base and did a really good job,” said Allen.

Treefrog used a four-run 4^th to overcome a 2-1 deficit and went on to brush aside Young & Hung 7-3 in game one.  Jack Jordan’s two-run single put his club ahead for good at 3-2.  Jarred Barker and Mike Smith followed with rbi singles.  Treefrog tacked on two runs in the 5^th, closing out the scoring on a Smith rbi double.

Barker banged out three hits, and Scott Stout, Darryl Barnett and Smith added two each to pace the offense.

Next Treefrog broke open a 2-2 contest with four in the 4^th, seven in the 5^th, and three in the 6^th and 7^th to out-slug the Cobras 19-11.  After a walk to Jeffery Clemons forced in the go-ahead run in the 4^th, Scott Stout delivered a two-run single and scored on Jack Jordan’s base hit.  Jordan collected four more rbi’s with a slammer to cap off the 5^th.  Darryl Barnett’s rbi double highlighted the 6^th.  The 7^th featured rbi doubles by Jarred Barker and Mike Smith.

Barnett and Smith each went 4-for-5, and Jordan, Clemons and Barker chipped in three hits to lead the winners.

Treefrog jumped out to a 10-0 lead after two and a half innings in game three and went on to mercy-rule RSC/ALS Easton 13-3 in five.  A two-run single by Mike Smith capped off a four-run 1^st.  Jarred Barker’s two-run single was the big blow in a three-run 2^nd.  The lead swelled to 10-0 on rbi singles by Scott Stout and Barker and a Joe Bennett sac fly in the 3^rd.  RSC/ALM answered with three in the bottom of the 3^rd, but Treefrog offset that with two in the 4^th on a Kyle Stout sac fly and an rbi single by Barker, and one in the 5^th on base hit by Cody Wilmot.

Barker was perfect in four trips to the plate, and Jeffery Clemons had three hits and a base on balls to fuel the offense.

That pitted Treefrog against SOP for the championship.  Treefrog opened up a 6-1 lead with four in the 1^st and two in the 2^nd and never looked back as they rolled past SOP 11-4.  Matt Wilmot and Joe Bennett each had a two-run double to account for their team’s four runs in the 1^st.  Back-to-back home runs – including an inside-the-parker by Jeffery Clemons and a solo shot by Jarred Barker – made it a 6-1 game in the top of the 2^nd.  Treefrog tacked on one in the 4^th on a Wilmot sac fly, one in the 5^th on a Clemons’ base hit, and two in the 6^th on a Darryl Barnett single and a sacrifice fly by Mike Smith, then closed out the scoring when Wilmot hit into a fielder’s choice in the 7^th.

Barker pounded out four hits, and Scott Stout and Barnett combined for six, to power the champions.

Treefrog manager Jeff Allen said his team represents a “diverse age group.

“We’ve got a couple of our guys on our team who are fifty years old, and two 18-year olds,” said Allen.

Allen concluded by acknowledging the efforts of the staff at Warren County Armco Park.

“We’d like to thank Don Keys and Eddie Oligee and let them know how much we appreciate all they do for softball out here in Warren County,” said Allen.

For final standings, please paste the following url into your browser: http://www.usssa.com/sports/Tournament3.asp?TournamentID=870706