Deer Lodge brings in another Father Mac Championship. Front row: Brody Freeman, Hayden Benjamin, Andrew Pierson, Chase Lipes (Old Salt, Helena) Back row: Tony Piluso, Manu Samuela, Will Cote, John McEwen, Mike Meagher and Mike Cease.
The play turns into a close miss as Deer Lodge scores a run.
It was a beautiful blue sky weekend for the 45th Annual Father Mac tournament June 1-2 at Helmville's Wilson Field. Six teams vied for championship status, which was taken by Deer Lodge's team with a 15-5 win. Reserve champion was the TDS team from Missoula. Runner-up was The Pine Beetles, also from Missoula.
There were no gold chains around the players necks or even matching uniforms as the Men's Fast Pitch Softball teams took to the diamond. A sense of camaraderie prevailed amongst the teams as greetings and cat calls alike flew through the air. In one instance, a player from Deer Lodge was injured in semi-final play. A player from the Helena Old Salt team volunteered to step in so they would have a full team for the championship game.
"Everyone wants the game to happen," Amber Schaffer, an attendee from Missoula, said. "They'll hop teams to get the game going."
The Blackfoot League, of which the Father Mac Tournament is a part, plays frequently through the week, totaling about 20 games a season. The Father Mac Tournament is in addition to regular season play and doesn't count towards season points. Each team hosts games in their towns - Helmville, Missoula, Helena and Deer Lodge.
Helmville's Wilson Field is known as the best ballfield in the league.
"I love coming up to Helmville," Dusty St. John, a player from Missoula, said. "This is the best venue with the natural amphitheater and openness."
Father Mac was a beloved priest at the Helmville St. Thomas Catholic Parish in the late 1970s. Mac was killed in a canoe accident on the Blackfoot River days before the 1980 tournament. The tournament that year was going to be a fundraiser for the ball team but turned into a memorial event for Father Mac, and has been played ever since, according to Pathfinder archives.
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