SCARVILLE, Iowa – Spanning several generations, most of the faces remain the same – albeit a year older – though there are always a few new ones and, inevitably, some who don’t return for one reason or another.

Wednesday, March 28, 2001

SCARVILLE, Iowa – Spanning several generations, most of the faces remain the same – albeit a year older – though there are always a few new ones and, inevitably, some who don’t return for one reason or another.

It’s the Brotherhood Dartball League, an area tradition that dates back several decades. The 2000-2001 season concluded Monday night with the annual playoffs and banquet at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Scarville, Iowa.

Part fellowship and part competition, dartball is essentially just what it sounds like, a combination of darts and baseball with teams organized at 12 area churches. Participants fire darts underhanded at a diamond-shaped target with spots for strikes, balls, hits and outs. The games are scored like baseball. The team with the most &uot;runs&uot; wins.

On this night it was Ascension Lutheran of Albert Lea, a surprise first-place finisher in the regular season with a record of 28-5. Ascension won 19-7 in the championship game over Lunder-Round Prairie, the regular-season runner-up that’s captained by the league’s longtime secretary-treasurer, Al Krueger.

Those teams had a bye in the opening round, where fourth-seeded Emmons defeated fifth-seeded Conger-Bear Lake 17-5 and third-seeded Pickerel Lake beat sixth-seeded Salem of Albert Lea 8-6.

In the semifinals, Ascension edged Emmons 5-4 while Lunder-Round Prairie nipped defending champion Pickerel Lake 10-8.

The Ascension team was led by Lowell Doppelhammer, who won the season batting crown with an average of .742. He was one of four Ascension batters to make the top 10, joining No. 3 Steve Guenthner (.695), No. 5 Jeremy Waters (.684) and No. 8 Rick Walther (656).

The rest of the Ascension team included Jeff Moyer, Mike Bennett, Ron Venem, Larry Irvine, Del Boyken, Barry Coughlin, Wayne Hanson, Barry Hoffman, Ron Noe and Curtis Smith.

Randy Baldwin, pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church, said he’s greatly enjoyed his involvement in dartball the past four years.

&uot;It’s good fellowship and a good way to get to know other congregations,&uot; said Baldwin. &uot;What other event do you know where men get together, have devotion and prayer and good fellowship too? It’s a good thing.&uot;