DTD and Them Roor Bulls take crowns

Anthony LoviSa

It took 24 games spread over two weekends to complete, but the intramural softball tournament champions have finally been crowned. The men’s and co-ed intramural softball tournaments were played this past weekend after the later round games were rained outover Parents’ Weekend. The champions from the men’s draw were Delta Tau Delta while the Them Roor Bulls captured the co-ed championship.The men’s draw started with 17 teams determined to come out on top as the Villanova men’s softball champions. However, in the end only one team could claim that coveted title: Delta Tau Delta. The Delta Tau Delta team featured 14 interchangeable players from the fraternity of the same name. When asked about the decision to form a team with his frat brothers, team captain Michael Sabanos acknowledged the sophomore class for bringing in a love of sports and a desire to compete. This could also be seen through the frat’s involvement in other intramurals such as football and volleyball, in which they were also champions.In their quarterfinal game, Delta Tau Delta was matched against a fellow fraternity team, Phi Sigma Kappa. When questioned about the possible rivalry that might exist between the two teams, Michael mentioned the competition that exists during Greek Week. He also noted that he and his team members had been friends with the other team members since freshmen year but were currently competing against one another.The team’s most difficult game was their semifinal game, in which they had to play extra innings while missing one player who had a conflicting co-ed game. Trailing by three runs heading into the bottom of the last regulation inning, Delta Tau Delta rallied to tie before finally winning in eight innings. What made the game even more difficult was the schedule. They played back-to-back games, two games in two hours.In the championship game, Delta Tau Delta was matched against team Off in the Shower. Delta’s captain recognized Daniel Shah as the game’s MVP. He set the pace of the game early with a lead-off homerun, and when the game was over had nearly hit for the cycle, needing only a triple to complete it. Another standout player was Brian Pannell, whose dedication overpowered his pain. He played through two games with cramps while stretching on the side in order to remain loose.In the co-ed tournament, nine teams battled for the number one spot. The team that came out on top was Them Roor Bulls. If you are wondering what the team name means, look no further. The explanation offered by one team member, Trisha, was that the name comes from a cross between a bull and a lion, which represents the team because they are both fierce and aggressive.On their way to the championship, Them Roor Bulls beat teams with other interesting names, such as The Special Skittles, Who’s on First and Morning Lumber. According to the team, Them Roor Bulls’ most difficult game was their quarterfinal game on Saturday because it was at noon, which is early for college students. In the words of Trisha, the team needed to “rally the troops” for the game. In the end it was worth it because they earned the title of Villanova’s 2006 co-ed softball tournament champions.