DODDS-Europe Division I champions Ramstein and runners-up Vilseck shake hands after the Royals' 27-1 victory. (Matt Millham/Stars and Stripes)
DODDS-Europe Division I champions Ramstein and runners-up Vilseck shake hands after the Royals' 27-1 victory. (Matt Millham/Stars and Stripes)
Ramstein celebrates after downing Vilseck 27-1 for the 2015 DODDS-Europe Division I baseball crown. (Matt Millham/Stars and Stripes)
Vilseck senior Caleb Miller slides into third in the final inning of the Falcons' 27-1 loss to Ramstein for the 2015 DODDS-Europe Division I baseball title. (Matt Millham/Stars and Stripes)
Vilseck senior Caleb Miller smacks a single in the final inning of the Falcons' 27-1 loss to Ramstein for the 2015 DODDS-Europe Division I baseball title. (Matt Millham/Stars and Stripes)
Ramstein's Antonio Ortiz drives one to left field for an out in the Royals' 27-1 romp over Vilseck for the 2015 DODDS-Europe Division I baseball title. (Matt Millham/Stars and Stripes)
Ramstein pitcher Zach Buhrer hurls the ball in the Royals' 27-1 rout of Vilseck for the DODDS-Europe Division I baseball title. (Matt Millham/Stars and Stripes)
Vilseck senior Kurt Hall smashes a home run over the right field fence for Vilseck's only run in its 27-1 loss to Ramstein for the DODDS-Europe Division I baseball title. (Matt Millham/Stars and Stripes)
Ramstein sophomore Spencer Woller dings one almost to the right field fence, where he is caught out, in the Royals' 27-1 victory over Vilseck for the DODDS-Europe Division I baseball crown. (Matt Millham/Stars and Stripes)
Ramstein's Woody Woodruff is congratulated at home plate by Vilseck's catcher after a single home run over the center field fence during Ramstein's 27-1 rout of the Falcons for the DODDS-Europe Division I baseball title. (Matt Millham/Stars and Stripes)
Ramstein senior Antonio Ortiz slides into third in the Royals' 27-1 drubbing on Vilseck for the Division I DODDS-Europe baseball championship. (Matt Millham/Stars and Stripes)
RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany -- Plenty of new storylines played out in the 2015 DODDS-Europe Division I baseball season.
A twist ending wasn't among them.
The Ramstein Royals blasted the Vilseck Falcons 27-1 on Saturday to claim their third consecutive title and reassert their dominance on the DODDS-Europe diamond. The Royals beat archrival Patch 12-4 in a morning semifinal to set up the title-game romp.
As dominant as the Royals were Saturday, and throughout an undefeated season, coach Tom Yost said another title was far from certain when the spring began.
“They’ve really come together. Hard work has been a part of what they do,” Yost said as his players celebrated nearby with friends and family. “Every time they step in between the white lines they get better.
“I’m very proud of those young men right there.”
Yost said the team’s “camaraderie” carried it along with their obvious talents.
“It’s not a baseball team, it’s a baseball family,” Yost said.
The title game was settled almost immediately as Woody Woodruff and Stan Hurley launched first-inning home runs for the homestanding Royals.
“We really wanted to get our bats going early so we could put some runs on the board,” said Woodruff, who hit two home runs on the day. “We really wanted to come out and just show everyone what we’re all about.”
Though it crowned a familiar champion, the title game was a new look for DODDS-Europe baseball. Prior to Saturday, Ramstein and Patch had played in every Division I title game since its inception in 2009.
It was the Panthers that missed their appointment this spring. Patch fell to Kaiserslautern 5-4 in a pool play thriller Friday evening, sending Patch into a Saturday morning semifinal with undefeated overall top seed Ramstein. While the Royals handled the Panthers, Vilseck ousted Kaiserslautern 7-4 to earn its shot at the Royals.
But the Falcons were outclassed quickly in a title game that wasn’t nearly as competitive as the teams’ Thursday pool play encounter, a 9-5 Ramstein win that was ultimately the Royals’ closest call of the entire tournament.
Vilseck coach David Nelson said the arduous road to get to the title game prevented his team from winning it when it got there. The Falcons used primary pitchers Kurt Hall and Brad Patterson extensively to survive pool play and the Saturday morning semifinal.
“We knew that if we got here, pitching would be an issue,” Nelson said. “It was a good ride.”
Frustrating as it was, Vilseck’s title-game berth may have helped blaze a trail for future contenders not clad in Ramstein or Patch uniforms. Yost said the Royals, who expect to lose all but a handful of Saturday’s title-winning players, will be wary of all potential contenders.
“You never know what’s going to happen,” Yost said. “It’s up for grabs every year.”
Twitter: @broomestripes
