Twelve teams battled during the third annual Prairie Days Charity Mushball tournament on Sunday, June 25, in an attempt to secure the title and donate the event’s proceeds to a charity of their choice.
This year’s winner was The Feds, who defeated The Guardians, 14-4, in the championship round.
The Feds’ charity of choice was Raise for Rowyn, an organization that has served over 500 families from across the nation who have suffered the loss of a child since 2014. The organization helps families with emotional and financial support.
Line Roy, with the City of Yelm Parks and Recreation department, said Raise for Rowyn will receive $1,000, which came from registration fees and monetary donations.
Before the tournament action started, Roy introduced Jeevan Anandasakaran and Heidi Smith, who delivered the ceremonial first pitch of the charity mushball tournament.
“Jeevan and Heidi are super involved with Bounty for Families, Gift for Gobble and were the grand marshals for the parade,” Roy said. “We just wanted to give them an extra special shoutout by having them throw the first pitches.”
Yelm resident Nathan Hilmer performed the national anthem on his trumpet before the friendly competition got underway.
In the first round of the charity mushball tournament, the Excavators was defeated by the Rockets, while team Sons of Pitches were defeated by team Bat Intentions. The first round action continued when team Mushed Potatoes defeated team Farmers Insurance, and team Anytime Fitness defeated team Ready + Stedi.
In the second round of action, team Stancil & Go defeated the Rockets in the first game of the quarterfinals. The Guardians, which was made up of officers from the Yelm Police Department and Thurston County Sheriff Derek Sanders, defeated team Bat Intentions in the second round. Then, The Feds defeated team Mushed Potatoes in the third round, and the Yelm Titans defeated team Anytime Fitness.
In the semifinal round, team Stancil & Go was defeated by The Guardians, while The Feds defeated the Yelm Titans.
The championship game saw The Feds defeat The Guardians, 14-4.
Roy highlighted one particular team that showed their support for the tournament even after an early exit.
“Farmers Insurance, they were out round one, but stayed the whole day and watched the championship game,” Roy said. “To have a team that stays the whole time and is committed to the whole day, that’s the spirit of Prairie Days.”
Rob Carlson, with The Guardians, had higher expectations for his team’s performance this year. Carlson, who is the chief of police in Yelm, said his team practiced in preparation of the tournament.
“Last year, we didn’t do as well as we liked,” Carlson told the Nisqually Valley News before the team’s first game of the tournament. “This year, we got some more practice under our belts and a better understanding of how things are going. I think we’ll do better.”
Carlson said while the event features a competitive environment, he is thankful for the opportunity to bring his officers closer together and to involve the community through the charity mushball tournament.
“One thing about this tournament is this kind of stuff brings our department even closer. If we do well and we go far, then that’s awesome. For me, it’s about camaraderie, and being with each other and having fun,” Carlson said. “We see a lot of folks here that we deal with on a community level when we’re out and about, whether it’s the chamber meetings or different events. It’s the camaraderie of our city. There’s folks here playing that might not be from Yelm, but it brings us closer to the people that are from Yelm.”
He said the mushball tournament was a great way to wrap up Prairie Days weekend.
“The parade, afterwards in the park, and really throughout this entire weekend, everyone has been so welcoming to us. It was one of the best Prairie Days celebrations we’ve had in such a long time,” Carlson said. “It was really cool. Prairie Days is another one of those events that brings the community together. We need that because Yelm is still the size where we can be a big family.”
Auzzie Schaler, a member of the Yelm Titans team, returned to the tournament for a second consecutive year. Prior to competing, Schaler and his team said they planned to win the mushball championship.
“It’s going to be a great time today. A lot of us didn’t get our senior year to play baseball, and so this is kind of one last hoorah for us to come out here and play together,” Schaler told the Nisqually Valley News before their first game. “We’re gonna try and win it all. We did a couple of practices leading up to prepare this year.”
Though they were eliminated by The Feds, Schaler said he was thankful for the experience. He plans on taking part in the tournament again next year.
“I think the mushball tournament went really great. It’s for such a great cause. The community is so willing to come out and play ball for the whole day, in the hot sun. It’s just awesome,” Roy said after the tournament. “It was really cool seeing the event grow so much. Just knowing it’s grown so much, with 12 teams this year, we’re excited to see it grow into next year. We’d possibly even consider double elimination.”
