Record 80+ and 85+ Teams Play in Session 2 of the 2024 Worlds

Sept. 1, 2024

By Donna McGuire
Softball News Report

LAS VEGAS - Seventeen divisions crowned champions during the second session of the Senior Softball-USA World Championships being played in the Las Vegas area.

The session featured Hall of Fame inductions, a 90s East/West All-Star game (please see side story), and 172 teams in the 65+ and older age groups playing on 31 fields at eight ball parks Sept. 16-19.

Scrap Iron 5280' of Colorado won their first seeding game against Sacramento Islanders 70, 24-21.

“It’s so good to see so many players and families enjoy the games, camaraderie and friendships — an inspiration to many,” said Fran Dowell, SSUSA’s executive director.

With more and more players continuing to play into their 80s, spectators got to watch 13 teams in the 80+ division and six more teams playing in the 85+ divisions.

Excessive Force 70 (CA) vs. Oregon Crabs 70, 27-26, during a seeding game at Desert Breeze Softball Complex in the Men's 70+ AAA divison.

Four teams — all age 75+ or older — won the coveted Triple Grand Slam: Venom of Florida in 75+ Major Plus, Northern Virginia Force in 75+ Major, Maverick Construction of Texas in 80+ Major Plus, and Center for Sight of Florida in 85+ Major.

Results:

Men’s 65+ Major Plus: Top-seeded Texas Crush Sixty Fives (photo lower left) capped a 6-0 tournament with a 21-20 championship victory over second-seeded Cal Energy. Crush scored five runs in the bottom of the sixth to take the one-run lead then held Cal Energy scoreless in the open inning. Ted Todd Insurance of Florida finished third. Samurai of California took fourth in the four-team division. USA National Championship game: Cal Energy 32 (photo lower right), Ted Todd Insurance 17.

Men’s 65+ Major: Ninth-seeded Northwest Stampede (photo below) knocked off the top two seeds during bracket play en route to winning the 22-team division. Stampede defeated Howe Creative Design/The Bank of Delaware 21-17 in the title game after beating the same team 21-11 in the winner’s bracket finals. Tex-Ark Legends, which had been seeded 11th, captured third place. The seventh-seeded Minnesota Merchants took fourth. USA National Championship game: New Dawn Awning 19, Howe Creative Design/The Bank 18.

Men’s 65+ AAA: Second-seeded Spring Ford of Pennsylvania won seven of its eight bracket games, including a 24-18 and 27-21 double dipping of runner-up So Cal Braves, a California team that had been seeded 21st in the 27-team division. Third-seeded Big Daddy’s Donuts of Missouri earned third place. Top-seeded Team Alaska placed fourth. USA National Championship game: Team Alaska 20, Spring Ford 18.

Team Alaska 65 (red and grey jerseys) pose with Spring Ford 65+ (blue and white jerseys) after the USA National Game.

Men’s 65+ AA: Ninth-seeded New Beginnings won its first three bracket games, lost the winner’s bracket final by one run, and then won the third-place game to force a rematch with the second-seeded Warriors-Imua of Hawaii. New Beginnings double dipped the Hawaiians 13-9 and 10-4 to claim the 12-team division. Top-seeded Lights Out of California won four elimination games to finish third. The eighth-seeded Las Vegas Gamblers won four elimination games to secure fourth in the 12-team division. 

Men’s 70+ Major Plus: Playing its final season under longtime coach Doug Robbins, top-seeded Timberworks/Suncoast of California (photo below) finished 6-0 and won another in a long list of World titles by stifling Eviro-Vac Marauders of British Columbia, Canada, 17-2 in the title game. Top Gun Over The Edge of California finished third in the three-team division. USA National Champion: Timberworks/Suncoast.

Men’s 70+ Major: The 11th-seeded Minnesota River Bats (photo below) got on a roll in bracket play, winning its five games by a 10-run average. The River Bats knocked off fifth-seeded R&R 70s of California 22-11 in the finale. Fourth-seeded Scrap Iron High Octane won four elimination games and placed third. The 15th-seeded KC Kids won four elimination games to finish fourth in the 19-team division. USA National Championship game: New Dawn Awning Reds of California 18, Pill & Pill of West Virginia 9.

Men’s 70+ AAA: Fourth-seeded Majestic of California (photo below) lost the first title game 20-6 to second-seeded Team Fire/Grey Sox of Washington then rebounded to win the “if needed” title game 21-12. Majestic led the entire way. The Oregon Crabs, which had been seeded last in the 22-team division, placed third. W.E. Ruth Realty of Washington nabbed fourth place. USA National Champion: Team Fire/Grey Sox.

Men’s 70+ AA: Top-seeded New Mexico Boomers finished 6-0, gave up an average of only nine runs per game, and defeated second-seeded Proton/Spikes of Washington 17-8 in the championship game. The Boomers held Proton/Spikes scoreless four innings in a row. The sixth-seeded Minnesota Lumberjacks nabbed third place in the 13-team division. Third-seeded Triple 2 of Texas placed fourth.

New Mexico Boomers (dark blue) and Proton/Spikes (light blue) together.

Men’s 75+ Major Plus: Top-seeded Venom of Florida (photo lower left) scored six runs in the bottom of the open inning for a 25-24 championship victory, which also earned Venom its third consecutive Triple Grand Slam. Playing its third straight game on turf, second-seeded Omen of California (photo lower right) scored eight in the top of the open inning before it found itself snake-bit in the bottom half. R&R of California placed third in the five-team division. Enviro-Vac Marauders of British Columbia, Canada, took fourth. USA National Championship: Venom 24, Omen 16.

Men’s 75+ Major: Top-seeded and unbeaten Northern Virginia Force (photo below) trailed for only two innings in the title game before pulling away for a 20-12 victory over third-seeded SoCal Gusto. That victory gave Northern Virginia Force a Triple Grand Slam. Fourth-seeded Team Minnesota finished third in the nine-team bracket. Second-seeded Last Call of Nevada placed fourth. USA National Championship game: Northern Virginia Force 21, Last Call 19.

Men’s 75+ AAA: The fifth-seeded Codgers of Idaho (photo below) fell behind by 13 runs in the championship game against the third-seeded San Antonio Silver Streaks then rallied for 14 runs in the bottom of the open inning to win 21-20. The Codgers finished 7-1 overall while the Silver Streaks went 5-2. The Minnesota Masters finished third in the 12-team division. Triple Play of California took fourth. USA National Champion: Triple Play.

Men’s 75+ AA: Playing the best-of-three, the Minnesota Lumberjacks (photo below) swept the Top Gun Olde Dawgs of California 16-14 and 15-10 to win the title. The Lumberjacks finished 4-1 overall.

Men’s 80+ Major Plus: Second-seeded Maverick Construction of Texas (photo below) knocked off top-seeded Omen of California 12-9 in the “if needed” title game after losing the first championship game 14-8. That earned Maverick Construction the Triple Grand Slam. The Sidewinders of Arizona finished third in the three-team bracket. USA National Champion: Maverick Construction.

Men’s 80+ Major: Top-seeded Scrap Iron 80 Proof never trailed as it defeated second-seeded Top Gun 80 Gold of California 14-5 to win the four-team division and finish 6-0. Ho’oikaika of Hawaii took third place, and Texas Stallions finished fourth.

Men’s 80 + AAA: The top-seeded B.C. Seniors of British Columbia, Canada, (photo below), put together an unbeaten World Championships in solid fashion, winning several games by double digits before handling the second-seeded Minnesota Masters 19-12 in the championship game. The Chicago Gray Sox of Illinois finished third in the six-team division.

Men’s 85+ Major: In what has become an annual rivalry, Center For Sight of Florida (photo lower left) and Top Gun Blue Angels 85 (photo lower right) played each other four times in the tournament, with Center For Sight winning three, including the two most important games: the USA National Championship and the SSUSA World Championship — which also gave Center For Sight the Triple Grand Slam. The Blue Angels forced an “if needed” title game by defeating the Floridians 16-13 in the first championship game. Center For Sight captured the second one 15-13. Third place in the three-team division went to the Scrap Iron 85 Legends. USA National Championship game: Center For Sight 24, Top Gun Blue Angels 19.

Men’s 85+ AAA: The top-seeded Midwest Driving School Antiques of Kansas (photo below) capped a 4-1 tournament with a 16-1 championship victory over second-seeded Team Rehabilitation of Minnesota. The Antiques’ only loss happened in pool play, and it was by one run to the 85+ Major champs Center For Sight. The New York Statesmen finished third in the three-team division.