Story by WB Ken Lane Jr.

Since 1996 St. John's Lodge No. 9 has sponsored three little league teams. A "Rookie" team consisting of six to eight year olds, a "Minor League" team consisting of nine and ten year olds, and a "Major League" team consisting of eleven and twelve year olds. Competition is fierce and the games are fun and exciting to watch. All games are six innings in length.

The Rookie teams are comprised of approximately 12 players. Each player plays in the field and bats each inning. The coach will pitch to them and, if after seven pitches they do not hit the ball, it is placded on a batting tee for the player to swing. This gives these youngsters a base with which to build their playing ability.

The Minor League teams are the first introduction to player pitching in the Little League system and only nine players are on the field. There are many walks and stolen bases by these players. The games are exciting and high scoring. Come from behind wins come often in these contests.

The oldest group that St. John's Lodge No. 9 sponsors is a Major League team. These players generally have come up through the ranks from Rookie to Minor and then to this team. The pitching is greatly imporoved and these games are generally close in score. The games get emotional and are very fun to watch.

At the end of each season for the Minors and the Mjors there is a playoff to determine who the League Champion is. This season both the Minor and Major Mason teams had the best regular season records. Both played in the Championship game and both won!

The Minor League team won with an extra inning come from behind 9 to 8 victory. The Major League team won by a score of 8 to 0 with a perfect game recorded by two pitchers. A stellar year for the St. John's Lodge No. 9 sponsored teams.