US Senior Team Plays Two Tourneys in Japan

Feb. 1, 2009

FUJINOMYA, JAPAN – The SSUSA team came out swinging in its eighth All Japan International Senior Softball Championships here in November, setting a record for the number of runs scored in the first day of the tournament.

The Japan tournament uses heavy and soft 14-inch balls, so the games seldom reach the double-digits – and often are in the low single digits. The US team beat both opponents by identical scores, 16-0, and set a record for the number of runs scored in a game.

However, on Sunday the US team’s bats went cold and the team lost the first game in the single-elimination bracket (5-2) to a team from Tokyo.

Earlier in the week, the US team played in another tournament in Osaka, the Sixth Annual Joiful Tournament, which uses a 12-inch hollow ball made of rubber. Playing with the ball for the first time, the US team tied both teams they played in the preliminary rounds.

Unfortunately, the games were rained out on the second and final day of the tournament, so teams were placed according to the preliminary round. With two ties, the US team placed 5th of 12 teams.

The US team also played a number of goodwill exhibition games, toured the ancient cities of Kyoto and Nara, and visited with the mayors of the cities hosting the two tournaments.

“This goodwill tour is one of our favorite tours of the year,” said Terry Hennessy, manager of the USA team and SSUSA chief executive officer. “Our Japanese hosts are generous and extremely friendly. The banquets and entertainment are unmatched and the bonds we build with the players and Japanese teams last a lifetime.”

Bob Hamilton of California was selected MVP for the US team, with John Fournier of California winning Best Defense and Lanny Horton of Texas Best Offense.

This year, for the first time, Taiwan sent a team to compete. The Taiwanese team invited both SSUSA teams and Japanese teams to compete in a tournament in Taiwan next year.

“There are more than 3,000 softball teams in Taiwan, but few senior teams,” said Robert Hsu, Secretary General of the Chinese Slow Pitch Softball Association in Taiwan. “We know if our players saw these Japan and US players, they would start playing in a heartbeat.”

Susan Ruth, director of SSUSA’s International Sports Holidays, said that she is in the process of setting up tour in November 2009 that would include tournaments in both Taiwan and Japan.

“This is a chance for our players to see fascinating, new country and still play in Japan, one of the most popular tournaments outside of the United States.”

For more information, see www.sports-holidays.net, or call 206-930-7091.