ASHLAND, Ky. – What is that sound we were hearing?
It’s the L-Train chugging its way to another Amy For Africa Wiffleball Tournament championship – their fourth overall. L-Train won the first tournament back in 2013 and Saturday put another notch in their belts by defeating Villers’ Victors 14-7 in the championship.
L-Train’s roster included Captain Rob and Ryan Lynch along with David Johnson and Ben Maynard. The Lynches are Ashland sports royalty, known simply for winning in baseball and basketball whatever it takes. Maynard is a former baseball coach at Boyd County and previously played on two AFA Wiffleball champions.
Rob’s boys, River and Noah, had teams in the tournament but they couldn’t match ‘ol Dad whose team won a semifinal challenge from All The King’s Men to put them in the championship.
Villers’ Victors outlasted defending champion Kona Ice, 13-11, in another exciting semifinal.
It was poor defense that did in the Villers team in the championship. Three costly mistakes opened the door for L-Train, which scored six runs in the first and third innings of the three-inning game. (Six runs is the most you can score in an inning).
Three Villers’ brothers (Christian, Chase and Cole) and Liberty University point guard Colin Porter – known for their basketball exploits for the Ashland Tomcats – made up the Villers’ Victors. They came in as the runner-up for a third consecutive year and vowed to win the championship in 2024.
“We will knock down the door in due time,” Captain Christian Villers said. “Just gotta keep swinging.”
Rob Lynch hadn’t planned on entering a team until his sons told him the L-Train name was on the bracket. So he couldn’t refuse and began assembling the championship team.
Johnson was the biggest miracle on the field. He is a lung cancer survivor with multiple surgeries including brain surgery and chemotherapy. He was diagnosed six years ago and was given the all clear. He played extremely well as did all the balanced L-Train team swept through the field with some massive home runs from all four positions.
“We had a blast and blessed to be healthy enough to experience a rare adrenaline rush of competition at this age,” Rob Lynch said in a message.
L-Train’s reward, besides the joy of being AFA Wiffleball champion, was helping us take down the field and they did that well too.
Matt Fultz, the captain of Kona Ice, won the Home Run Derby for the first time.
Around 120 players competed in the AFA Wiffleball Tournament that lasted from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. practically non-stop. Much thanks to Unity Baptist Church for the use of their lots and to the dozens of volunteers who helped make it a success for the ministry.
MARK MY WORDS 2 