IBEW Local 38 sweeps softball tournaments
IBEW Local 38 was the big winner at the 41st Annual Cleveland Building Trades Softball Tournament, with teams from the Local taking home the titles in both the A and B divisions.
The two-day, double-elimination tournament at James Day Park began on Aug. 31 and stretched past midnight the following evening.
In the “A” bracket, Local 38 A faced off against Pipefitters Local 120 A, who emerged from the loser’s bracket to face the defending champion electricians.
Trailing late into the contest, Pipefitters Local 120 A mounted a comeback, but their rally fell short, and Local 38 A won 18-12.
The victory marked Local 38’s third “A” title in a row and fourth title in the past five tournaments.
In the “B” bracket, the team from Ironworkers Local 17 pushed IBEW Local 38 B to the limit.
Needing to win two games to earn the crown, Local 17 won the first game in a blowout. The deciding second game proved to be a back-and-forth matchup that kept fans in their seats well past midnight.
The “winner-take-all” second game saw both teams play competitive ball throughout the early and middle innings. However, in the final few innings, Local 38 B pulled away from the Ironworkers, who started to show signs of fatigue after a long two days of softball.
In the end, Local 38 B prevailed by a 16-12 count to complete the tournament sweep.
IBEW Local 38 Business Manager Dan Gallagher believes this was the first time the Local’s teams took home both the “A” and “B” championships in the same year.
He was proud of the effort and skill displayed by his members on the field.
“I think both teams played great,” said Gallagher. “I've always been impressed with the level of competition at the trades tournament and give credit to the players on our teams for bringing home the hardware.”
Overall, it was two days of friendly competition among affiliated Cleveland Building Trades Local Unions during the annual event that leads into Labor Day weekend.
Between the players on the field and the fans in the stands cheering on their team, the experience created great camaraderie between the Brothers and Sisters in the trades.
Gallagher added that the tournament always provides fierce competition on the ballfields but generates a higher level of mutual respect as the teams compete against their building trades union Brothers whom they work with on the jobsites each day.