Tournament wrapup

Senior Softball World Championships Update: Wednesday, Oct. 22 , 2003

Oct. 22, 2003 – Senior Softball-USA

The elders of softball battled in a final game at West Mobile County Park Wednesday. First Federal Savings of Florida soundly defeated Tremont Hotel of Virginia 22 to 5 at the West Mobile County Park to win the 80+ Senior Softball World Championships.

Florida won the World Championships 80 Division for the first time.

The other six "older" divisions began double-elimination play at both West Mobile County Park and Medal of Honor Park at the 2003 Senior Softball World Championships. Divisions heading into double-elimination included the 75, 70 Major, 70 AAA, 65 Major-Plus, 65 Major and 65 AAA divisions.

In a huge upset in the 65 Major Division, top seeded Thousand Oak Panthers of California was beaten by the eighth - and last - seed Keller Williams Realty of Michigan 15-5, knocking the Panthers into the loser's bracket.

The Panthers beat the Texas Classics, 19-6, and then were knocked out of the tournament by the New York Statesmen, 12-7. Four teams are left to vie for the 65 Major Championship on Sunday: the New York Statesmen, Cleveland 65s, Emerald City Masters of Washington, and Keller-Williams.

As the elders of senior softball wrap up their competition Thursday, the youngsters take the field. Some 56 teams in the 50 and 55 age bracket will compete through Sunday for five division championships - the 50 Major-Plus, 50 Major, 50 AAA, 55 Major, and 55 AAA.

Star of the Day:

Ron Pearce has spent a lifetime building a extremely successful auto dealership in Southern California - and he has spent several years sponsoring and playing on one of the perennial favorites in senior softball - Fairway Ford.

His Fairway Ford team has won several national and world championships over the past decade and is competing in the 2003 World Championships in Mobile in the 65 Major-Plus Division.

While it is usually his team that gets the attention, Pearce became the hero in the quarterfinal game at West Mobile County Park Wednesday when he hit in the winning run.

Pearce, who plays third base for Fairway Ford, got the hit that capped a 7-run comeback in the bottom of the seventh inning to beat Dixie Gas from Florida.

Senior Softball World Championships double-elimination Games: Wednesday

80 Division Championships

First Federal Savings, FL, 22 vs Tremont Hotel, VA, 5

75 Division:

Tremont Hotel, VA, 21 vs Texas Diamonds, 6

Senior Friendship Center, FL, 13 vs So. Cal. Chiefs, 12

AC Delco, FL, 15 vs Texas Diamonds, 5

So. Cal Chiefs, 21 vs F7C Industries, 3

70 AAA Division

Louisville 70s, KY, 16 vs Texas Senior Rangers, 8

Houston Golden Eagles, 10, vs Pensacola 70s, 2

Cape Cod 5, MA, 22 vs St. Louis Rookies, MO, 4

Texas Spirit, 15 vs Louisville 70s, 2

Cape Cod, 16 vs Houston Golden Eagles, 10

Pensacola 70s, 15 vs Rookies, 5

Louisville, 13 vs Pensacola, 6

Houston Golden Eagles, 11 vs Texas Senior Rangers, 10

70 Major Division

Georgia Peaches, 7 vs Long Island Tigers, NY, 6

California Gold Rush, 16 vs Car Center Roadrunners, MD, 6

Mitchell's Construction, PA, 17 vs Georgia Peaches, 2

Mitchell's, 19 vs Gold Rush, 9

Car Center, 16 vs Long Island Tigers, 1

65 Major-Plus Division

Dixie Gas, FL, 19 vs Mitchell's 65s, 6

Fairway Ford, CA, 16 vs Florida Investment Properties, 6

Fairway Ford, 24 vs Dixie Gas, 23

Mitchell's, 26 vs Florida Investment, 20

65 Major Division:

Emerald City Masters, WA, 10 vs Cash 4 College, NJ, 9

New York Statesmen, 25 vs Papa Nick's, FL, 20

Cleveland 65s, OH, 12 vs Texas Classics, 10

Keller-William Realty, MI, 15 vs Thousand Oak Panthers, CA, 5

Emerald City, 13 vs New York Statesmen, 9

Keller-Williams, 14 vs Cleveland, 10

Papa Nick's 13 vs Cash 4 College, 11

Thousand Oaks, 19 vs Texas Classics, 6

Cleveland, 13 vs Papa Nicks, 8

New York Statesmen, 12 vs Thousand Oaks, 7

65 AAA Division

Houston Texans, 18 vs Tri-County Office Equipment, MD, 11

Millers 65s, MI, 21 vs Carolina Blue Sky, NC, 11

Icemen, KY, 12 vs Florida Jaguars, 6

Minnesota 65s, 17 vs Houston Texans, 16

Icemen, 12 vs Miller's, 9