Twelve teams competed this year in the MindsEye 2022 Ultimate BeepBall Tournament. In Bracket A, we had Lighthouse for the Blind – St Louis, Hannigan Team Realty (2), and the STL Aces. Bracket B consisted of the BumbleBeeps, Mascoutah Eye Care, and Friends of MindsEye. Bracket C had Hannigan Team Realty (1), 26-M2 Lions Eye Foundation, and Luxe Life. Finally, Bracket D had the 2021 UBT Champions Blind Luck, New Hotness, and the Wash U Visionaries.
This year’s tournament had a few new twists! MindsEye’s nationally competing team, The Gateway Archers, were split among the field of teams to give each one a boost and an instructor to be more competitive. Other professional players were placed on teams, as well, including Darnell Booker, coach of the five-time NBBA Championship team Indy Thunder, and Jason Dobbs of the Indy Edge.
The Home run line was also moved up this year to 100 feet to make the games more exciting!
9am Game Final Scores:
Lighthouse 4, Hannigan Team Realty (2) 1
Friends of MindsEye 4, Mascoutah Eye Care 5
Hannigan Team Realty (1) 1, Lions 4
Blind Luck 1, New Hotness 5
10am Game Final Scores:
Lighthouse 9, STL Aces 2
BumbleBeeps 10, Friends of MindsEye 3
Lions 1, Luxe Life 5
Blind Luck 0, Wash U 1 (shootout win)
11am Game Final Scores:
STL Aces 4, Hannigan Team Realty (2) 2
Mascoutah Eye Care 5, BumbleBeeps 6
Hannigan Team Realty (1) 0, Luxe Life 4
Wash U 1, New Hotness 4
Semi Final Games:
New Hotness 3, Luxe Life 7
Luxe Life won the game with good pitching from Bruce and scoring from Archers Ethan and Kyle along with Andy Hannigan who scored two runs.
BumbleBeeps 6, Lighthouse 3
Led by Archers coach Mike Curtis as pitcher, the BumbleBeeps won the game with two runs by Maddie, Riley, and Jorri. Lighthouse runs came from Archer Henry and one from Ethan, the youngest player this weekend.
Championship Game:
This game, as it should be, was the best game of the day with two teams that have been staples at the Ultimate BeepBall Tournament for years. The BumbleBeeps taking on Luxe Life (Hannigan Team Realty 3). Both teams had some advantages in different spots. For Luxe Life, their roster had three Gateway Archers, Ethan, Demetris, and Kyle Borah, as well as Andy Hannigan who has been instrumental in keeping BeepBall active for MindsEye. The BumbleBeeps had the pitching and catching duo of Archers Mike Curtis and Jonny Walker, respectively, with Jonny pitching to Mike when he batted.
The first inning started off strong for Luxe Life. They were able to get three put outs at the top of the game and then, in the bottom of the first, Demetris hit a home run which counts as two runs. The BumbleBeeps came back and answered, scoring three runs in the top of the second to take the lead. The BumbleBeeps would keep the pressure on with runs and a home run by Riley Young, making it 8-3 going into the final half inning for Luxe Life. Bruce, the pitcher for Luxe Life, stepped up big and they scored five to tie the game, sending it to a shootout!
A shootout in the Ultimate BeepBall Tournament is similar to hockey. Each team gets three batters and four pitches to put the ball into play. There is no defense or running. If they put the ball in play on one of their four pitches, then it is a point. If they miss all four, no point. The away team goes first with their three batters, then the home team goes with their three batters. Then, if still tied, teams will alternate turns until there is a winner.
The BumbleBeeps were the away team, so they went first with Riley, Stephanie, and Maddie. Riley and Stephanie both got out, but Maddie put a ball into play on her last pitch. Luxe Life then had Kyle, Savannah, and Andy batting. Kyle and Savanah both got out, but like the BumbleBeeps, Andy was able to score on his last pitch to keep it going. Both teams missed their next batter and both teams scored batters in the fifth round. In the sixth round, Maddie put a ball into play for the BumbleBeeps. It was down to Savannah of Luxe Life to keep it going, but unfortunately, they struck out making the BumbleBeeps the 2022 MindsEye Ultimate BeepBall Champions! Kudos to MVP Riley Young on that impressive home run in the final game!
Final Score: BumbleBeeps 9, Luxe Life 8
