By Staff
There is always something special about the Dowagiac-Lakeshore softball games.
Tuesday was no exception.
After playing one of the longest post season playoff games in state history two years ago with the Lady Lancers, Dowagiac and Lakeshore locked horns again with the Big 16 Conference West Division championship hanging in the balance.
For those of you who missed it, shame on you.
For those of us who were there, we were treated to 22 innings of outstanding softball.
Anyone who expected the Lancers and Chieftains to just get together and play a regular seven inning contest without controversy were probably at the wrong game.
They should have been over at Rotary Park watching the baseball teams play.
Dowagiac and Lakeshore never do anything without drama when it comes to softball.
Some of that has to do with former Dowagiac coach Denny Dock being at the helm of the Lakeshore program.
A lot of it has to do with Dowagiac and Lakeshore having two of the premier softball programs in southwestern lower Michigan.
As a result, the games are close, hard fought and usually decided on a spectacular play.
Such was the case again this time around.
Dowagiac led 1-0 going into the seventh inning when Lakeshore rallied to knot the game and send it into, what else? - extra innings.
Lakeshore grabbed a 2-1 lead with a run in the top of the 12th, but Dowagiac scored two runs in the bottom of the 12th with two runs on an infield ground ball.
As if that wasn't enough, the two teams tried to top that in the nightcap.
With the game knotted at 1-1 the two teams headed into extra innings once again as day turned into twilight.
Dowagiac once again rallied, this time in the bottom of 10th inning with a run.
Close plays, led to plenty of questions about right and wrong.
But the fact of the matter is that both teams gave us everything they had.
This was high school athletics at its finest. This was two heavyweight fighters standing toe-to-toe trying to knock each other out.
Just like it did two years ago, Dowagiac swept the Lady Lancers to claim the school's first Big 16 West Division championship.
On this glorious Tuesday afternoon, the Chieftains rose up once again and claimed the division title.
On this day we were all winners becaue we were there to see it.