The Chicago Double Headers defeated the Chicago Shady Ladies 16-6 to win the championship in the 5th-annual Felicia Melton-Smyth Memorial Softball Tournament (C-Division), played Sept. 21-23, in Madison, Wis.
The Double Headers finished the tournament with a 6-1 record and were led by infielder Denis Lemus, outfielder and hitting sensation Chris Grashoff, and pitcher Brad Trowbridge.
"Five of six teams [in our division] could have won the championship; there really were some top-notch players," in the division, Trowbridge said. "We had to beat some really good teams to win it all, and we did. It was great."
The tournament is a benefit for the Madison AIDS Network and, with its championship, the Double Headers also received $100 for a charity of its choosingand the team opted for A New Direction (AND), which supports domestic violence victims in Beverly and Morgan Park. Trowbridge, an attorney who also plays and mostly coaches softball in the Chicago Metropolitan Sports Association (CMSA), is on the AND board of directors.
Two D-Division teams from Chicagothe Cell Block Purple Orphans and Kit Kat Divasalso participated.
Meanwhile, in flag football action over the weekend, the Chicago Blaze suffered a 33-14 loss to the Philadelphia Revolution on Sept. 23, in a semifinal game (B Division) of the Gay Bowl XII, played in Denver.
The Revolution then lost to the Michigan Panthers, a team featuring quarterback Will Ward of Chicago.
Meanwhile, in the top-tiered A-Division, the Chicago Freeze had to settle for seventh-place after a 24-20 win over the Boston Hancocks.
The San Diego Bolts defeated the New York Warriors for the Gay Bowl championship trophy.
In the inaugural women's division at the Gay Bowl, the Chicago BruiseHers Blue claimed third place after defeating the team Denver 5280. The BruiseHers Blue team nearly defeated Denver 303 in the semifinals but lost in four overtimes, 44-38.
Denver 303 went on to defeat the Brooklyn Mavericks for the women's championship.
The Mavericks eliminated the Chicago BruiseHers Black team 25-0.