Scores from the final week of the regular season in the Lutheran Dartball League.
Congratulations to the 2022-23 regular season champions Wegan W.
Twelve weeks into the season, the red-hot Sauers E had a six-game lead over Wegan W by winning 27 games in a row. Then Sauers went into a slump while Wegan W was winning 17 of 18 games. That left both teams tied for first place with records of 42-12 going into the last night of the year.
As if a script from “Hoosiers,” it just so happened they were scheduled to play each other Monday night. Wegan W won two games by the scores of 5-4, 11-3 and 4-5 to win the championship by one game.
This is Wegan W’s 17th regular season championship (the most in the 70-year history of the league). Sauers E finishes in second place with a record of 43-14, and Immanuel 1 finished third with a record of 42-15 by winning all three games over Dudleytown N.
The league was glad to have new teams Hayden Methodist and Immanuel Darty, and Dudleytown Mets returned to the league after an absence of 17 years.
The tourney will be held Monday at the St. John’s Sauers Lutheran School gym. Serving will start at 6 p.m., and the first round of games will begin at 6:30 p.m. Good luck to all teams in the tournament. The following is the tourney draw:
Round 1 (6:30 p.m.): Wegan B vs. Wegan W; Sauers E vs. Wegan C; White Creek N vs. Borchers; Brownstown 4 vs. Hayden Methodist
Round 2 (7 p.m.): Jonesville vs. Lutheran Lake; Dudleytown Mets vs. Immanuel Darty; Sauers B vs. Immanuel 1; Redeemer S vs. The Pastors
Round 3 (7:30 p.m.): Dudleytown N vs. Wegan B/Wegan W winner; Redeemer N vs. Sauers E/Wegan C winner; Dudleytown D vs. Brownstown 4/Hayden winner; Zion 2 vs White Creek N/Borchers winner
Dartball history: Tourney records
Most tournament championships: (6) Zion 1; (5) Dudleytown N, Zion 1, Sauers E; (4) Dudleytown Mets, Wegan W
Most tournament wins: (70) Wegan W, Sauers E; (55) Dudleytown Mets
Highest winning percentage: (.692) Zion 2; (.651) Zion 1; (.647) Dudleytown Mets
Most runs in tournament: (843) Sauers E; (752) Wegan W; (664) Dudleytown Mets
Highest runs/game average: (9.08) Wegan S 36 games; (7.81) Dudleytown Mets 85 games; (7.69) Sauers X 53 games
Most runs in tournament game combined: (56) Vallonia 34-Jonesville 22 in 1956
Largest margin of victory: (17) White Creek N 17-0 Brownstown 3 in 1986; Wegan S 18 -1 Trinity in 1989
Highest losing score: (22) Jonesville 22-Vallonia 34 in 1956
Most combined runs championship game: (27) Sauers E 14-13 Wegan B in 2005
Fewest runs in championship game combined: (1) Zion 2 1-0 Immanuel 2 in 1962
Highest winning score championship game: (18) Wegan W 18-8 White Creek N in 2008
Number of tournament locations: (7) National Guard Armory 32 years, Immanuel gym 31 years, Sauers gym 2 years, Redeemer 1 year, Brownstown 1 year, SHS girls gym 1 year, Pearl Street gym 1 year