SUBMITTED

EAU CLAIRE — It was the last spit of the day. Rick “Pellet Gun” Krause had already spat two of the allowed three pits, all short of Christina Preston’s thus-far winning distance of 36-8.5.

Pellet Gun’s wife, Marlene “Machine Gun” Krause, had already successfully defended her 2017 Women’s Championship title with a spit of 29-10.5 to narrowly defeat Preston’s sister, Chelsey Torres, 28, Berrien Springs, by one-half inch.

The pressure was on. In one great “ptoey” against the gentle breeze, Pellet Gun, 64, let it fly to a comfortable 41-8.75 victory to also retain his championship title and his 18th world championship in cherry pit spitting at the 45th International Cherry Pit Spitting Championship held here today.

Joshua Hester, 11, of Coloma, won the 9-12 youth division with a “spit-acular 18-9.5 cherry pit spit. Ezekial Jones, 7, of St. Joseph, took the Youth 6-8-year-old contest with a 14-6.5 distance, and Josh Hester, 9, of Coloma, won the 9-12-year-old competition with a spit of 34-0.5.

St. Julien winemaker Kyle Totzke, of Paw Paw, won the Dignitary Division with a spit of 33-7.5.

The afternoon division and championship contests include the top spitters (by distance) from the morning qualification round. After the qualification round closes at noon, contestants advance to the appropriate division.

The youth divisions follow a dignitary spit-off. A women’s division is followed by the championship.

Historically, the championship has been dominated by men.