San Antonio, Houston, Austin Win in Texas

Sept. 1, 2013 – Ross McCulligan

Softball News Report

HOUSTON – The 2013 Texas State Championships welcomed 43 teams here for this prestigious event June 27-30. The tournament continues to grow in popularity and is quickly becoming one of the most premier tournaments in Texas.

The Texas State Championships made its way to the Houston Sportsplex for the first time in history, relocating from Dallas in 2012. Tournament director Keith Parker had nothing but praise for the facility stating, “The Houston SportsPlex is a top-rate facility and the perfect place for this Lone Star State classic.”

The tournament was played in extremely hot weather with temperatures reaching triple digits each day. The field crew did an excellent job making sure the fields were kept in pristine condition.

The 50 Major division was made up of seven teams. San Antonio Softball took the No. 7 seed heading into bracket play but was able to catch fire at the right time. They were able to run off four straight victories against Neway Hendricks Sports, Randy Smith Softball, Team Arkansas, and Wood Law on their way to claiming the division championship.

The 50/55 Gold division witnessed nine teams compete for the championship. The Buc’s, hailing locally from Texas, went 2-0 in pool play and then ran through bracket play quite easily, eventually claiming the top spot after a forfeit from Gonzalez Insulation in the championship game.

Houston Fire was able to take the 50/55 division after only being tested in the championship game. They faced Team Mayhem in the championship game and edged out a tough win, 24-23, to claim the division title.

The 60 Gold division had seven teams, with the No. 6 seed San Antonio Silver Streaks stealing the show. They beat the Texas Thunder, Texas Heat, Texas Lonestars and Texas Thunder once again on their road to the championship.

The 60 AA division was claimed by the top seeded Scrap Iron Diamonds. They claimed the No. 1 seed heading into the three-team bracket but lost their first game to Texas Pickups, 12-9. The Diamonds were forced to defeat San Antonio Mission Classics, 24-10, for their shot at revenge against the Pickups. Scrap Iron ended up double dipping the Texas Pickups, defeating them 6-5 in the ‘IF’ game, to take the championship home to Colorado.

The 65/70 Gold division played a modified format due to a late team drop out and some weather interference. In the end, the Texas Legends squared off against San Antonio Legends for the championship. San Antonio Legends outlasted the Legends, 19-8, to claim the division.

The 70/75 Gold division played a round-robin format throughout to decide a champion. Hill Contracting Austin, was able to go 5-0 to outlast the other five teams in the division. They defeated the Texas Greyhounds, 20-4, in their final pool play game.

For complete scores, bracket results, and All Tournament Player lists, please visit the Texas State Championships Tournament page at www.seniorsoftball.com.