Covenant News

NPTS Scholars Victorious in Softball Finals

CHICAGO, IL (August 11, 2004) - Anders Johnson hit a three-run homer during an eight-run first inning as the North Park Theological Seminary (NPTS) Scholars defeated Ravenswood Evangelical Covenant Church 17-6 in the finals of the Chicago Covenant Softball League Tuesday night at Legion Park.

NPTS won two games on Tuesday, defeating Covenant Office 21-14 in the semifinals. The Scholars, managed by Prof. Richard Carlson, won their second straight league title and finished 10-0 on the season. Ravenswood, which finished 8-3 overall, had advanced to the championship game with a 7-6 win over Galter Life Center.

Velda Love and Matt Braun had contributed run scoring singles before Johnson's homer. Braun added a solo homer in the bottom of the second inning as NPTS scored the game's first nine runs.

Ravenswood tallied two unearned runs in the top of the fourth inning to get on the scoreboard. In the fifth, Don Vander Griend hit a solo homer and in the sixth Cameron Hodgkinson drove in a run with a single as Ravenswood - managed by Brian Heneghan - narrowed the NPTS lead to 9-4. The league runner-up helped itself during a comeback try by turning double plays in the third and fourth innings.

In the bottom of the sixth inning, NPTS put the game away by scoring eight runs as Peter Morris contributed a grand slam to deep center field. It was the second time that a sixth-inning barrage of runs had lifted the NPTS squad during the evening.

During the semifinals, the Scholars were in a nail biter with Covenant Office, tied 10-10 heading into the bottom of the sixth. Braun's grand slam keyed an 11-run inning for NPTS, which had trailed 8-7 at one point.

Covenant Softball League of Chicago began play in 2001 and fielded nine teams this summer. Covenant Office won the first two championships of the league, which is played with a 16-inch softball that has been popular in the Chicago area for decades.

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