VEGAS DRAWS 150 TEAMS IN PRISTINE WEATHER FOR WINTER WORLDS

Feb. 1, 2010 – Dave Dowell National Director

LAS VEGAS – The Western portion of the SSUSA 2010 Tournament Season kicked off in here with 150 teams, shattering the previous tournament record of 131. Play expanded to six softball complexes throughout the Las Vegas area.

“The Las Vegas Winter Worlds are a perfect way to start the new season. Players, not just softball ones, love the excitement and entertainment options available in one of the most exciting cities in the world,” said Fran Dowell, SSUSA’s Executive Director.

The first session, for Men’s divisions 65+ and over, began on Tuesday under perfect weather conditions for the 34 teams at the Desert Breeze (70+ and older divisions) and newly expanded Shadow Rock (65+ divisions) softball complexes. Shadow Rock completed two new hybrid turf fields, with dirt infields and artificial turf outfields just after last year’s Winter Worlds, and they are state of the art.

The Men’s 65 Major+ and Major division played a combined round robin before separate championship bracket play commenced on Wednesday. The 65-Major+ title went to the Scrap Iron 65’s (CO) with a pair of impressive wins over runner-up Hawaiian Pride. The Men’s 65-Major division took longer to determine, with Rusty’s (AZ) sweeping runner-up Bickerton Iron Works (CA) in both the winner’s bracket final and the Championship game.

In the Men’s 65-AAA, top seeded Game On (CA) stumbled out of the blocks in bracket play, losing its first round game before bouncing back to win four straight in the elimination bracket on Thursday. They avenged that first round loss with back to back victories over the High Desert Roadrunners (NM) in the Championship and “If” games to win. Meanwhile, on an adjacent field, Hawaii’s Makule Kinipopo sailed through the 65-AA bracket, finishing with a win over runner-up Scrap Iron Red (CO).

Across town at the Desert Breeze Sports Complex, the Men’s 70-Major+ and Major divisions got their own mixed round robin underway prior to the brackets. The 70-Majo+ played out according to form as the top seeded Top Gun 70’s (CA) defeated the other two teams in the bracket, PDR/Fastsigns (OR) and runner-up D-99 (CA) on the way to the title. The Mesa Cardinals (AZ) wrapped up the 70-Major title with consecutive wins over the Texans 70’s in the Best 2 of 3 championship series.

The Men’s 70-AAA and AA also played a combined robin before bracket play. In the 70-AAA, Robson Ranch 70’s (AZ) made an impressive Thursday run through the elimination bracket, winning five consecutive games, the last two over previously unbeaten El Paseo Bank in the Championship and “IF” games. The 70-AA took a more conventional approach as the top seeded Arizona Titans cruised unbeaten to the championship with a final game win over Hawaii’s Makule Kane. The Men’s 75 and 80 divisions had Best 2 of 3 Championship Series following a full three game exhibition round robin. The 75-Major title went to Fairway Ford (CA) over the Sidewinders 75’s (AZ) and the 75-AAA/80-Men title to C&M Building Materials (CA) over Tiodize D-99 (CA), both in two game sweeps in the Best 2 of 3.

The calm and easy pace of the first session was replaced on Friday by a full and frantic schedule as 84 teams started play. They were joined by 32 more when the 40-Masters began on Saturday.

Highlights of the second session were impressive as competition was at a high level in almost every age and division of play.

At the newly re-designed and reconfigured Lorenzi Park Softball Complex, the 14-team 50-Major bracket was anybody’s tournament. No lead was safe, last at-bat victories were the norm rather than the exception, and any of the teams could have won. In the end, it was the Texas Barracudas prevailing late Sunday evening over the Tucson (AZ) Bandits in the “If” game. Tucson had won the Championship game in its last at-bat, and Texas returned the favor in the last game. Both were one-run decisions.

SSUSA would also like to thank our friends at the Las Vegas Senior Softball Association (LVSSA) for their gracious assistance all week, but especially at Lorenzi Park in sharing water jugs and Director’s equipment and allowing access to their storage facility.

Three other larger divisions also required “If” games to decide the champions late Sunday. The Men’s 50-AAA at the Cheyenne Softball Complex saw the Top Gun 50’s (CA) hold on to defeat Old School-Austin (TX). Not to be outdone, another 10-team division at the Cheyenne Softball Complex, the 50-AA had the same story line, but this time the Texans came out on top. Austin Relentless won the Championship and “If” games over Shannon Fence (OH).

The last of the “If” game divisions was the Men’s 55-Majors at Shadow Rock. The Doubleplay Classic (CA) team finished off a long Sunday on the elimination bracket with back to back victories over the previously unbeaten West Coast All-Stars in the Championship and “If” games.

One notable result was the perfect week by the 60-AA Tanel 360/Bud Light (TX), going unbeaten in the seeding rounds and running unblemished through the 11-team bracket, defeating runner-up Scrap Iron Diamonds (CO) in the Championship.

Lastly, there were scheduling changes made for the 40-Masters divisions, both Men and Women, and at their request, this year. For the first time, the 17 teams shared the same facility (Desert Breeze) over the weekend and it proved to be a solid combination. Winners included Custom Trucks (NV) in the 40-Masters Majors, the Nor-Cal Stars (CA) in 40-Masters-AAA, Kar Phone-TKP (CA) in Women’s 40-Masters-Gold and the Arizona Dream Team in Women’s 40-Masters-AA. It was the first SSUSA major tournament win by the Dream Team following several years of ‘being close.’

The remainder of the Women’s Division played exclusively at the Doc Romeo Sports Complex. In another large bracket, the Tucson Classics (AZ) defeated the Ohio Cardinals in both the winner’s bracket final and the Championship game to capture the 10-team Women’s 55+ division trophy.

Meanwhile, the Women’s 50+ featured one of the very few unbeaten teams for the weekend. Nevada’s No Limit capped a perfect 5-0 weekend with an impressive win over Philly’s LJ Slammers (CA) in the Championship game.

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Final Results

• MEN'S 40-MASTERS MAJOR

1. Custom Trucks (NV) - TOC

2. OGR (CA)

3. J.K., Inc. (CA)

• MEN'S 40-MASTERS AAA

1. Nor-Cal Stars (CA) - TOC

2. Heroes (CA)

3. Magic Sports (CA)

• MEN'S 50-MAJOR+

1. East Bay Oldies (CA)

2. Powerline - Miken (AZ)

• MEN'S 50-MAJOR

1. Texas Barracudas - TOC

2. Tucson Bandits (AZ)

3. Doubleplay (CA)

• MEN's 50-AAA

1. Top Gun 50's (CA) - TOC

2. Old School Austin (TX)

3. Island Boys (CA)

• MEN'S 50-AA

1. Austin Relentless (TX) - TOC

2. Shannon Fence (OH)

3. KC Renegades (MO)

• MEN'S 55-MAJOR

1. Doubleplay Classic (CA) - TOC

2. West Coast All-Stars (CA)

3. Redwood City Reds (CA)

• MEN'S 55-AAA

1. R & R Strokers/Doubleplay (CA) - TOC

2. Wilson Trophy 55's (CA)

3. Enterprise Electric (ID)

• MEN'S 55-AA

1. Viking Classics (TX) - TOC

2. X-Factor (NM)

3. Git-R-Done (CA)

• MEN'S 60-MAJOR+

1. D & K Softball (CA) - TOC

2. Omen Softball (CA)

• MEN'S 60-MAJOR

1. Minnesota Prize Co. - TOC

2. Oklahoma Turf Pro

3. High Desert Dukes (NM)

• MEN'S 60-AAA

1. Marauders (CA) - TOC

2. OC Mustangs (CA)

3. Scrap Iron/Phiten (CO)

• MEN'S 60-AA

1. Tanel 360/Bud Light (TX) - TOC

2. Scrap Iron Diamonds (CO)

3. Duke City Dynamite (NM)

• MEN'S 65-MAJOR+

1. Scrap Iron 65's (CO) - TOC

2. Hawaiian Pride (HI)

• MEN'S 65-MAJOR

1. Rusty's (AZ) - TOC

2. Bickerton Iron Works (CA)

3. Robson Ranch 65's (AZ)

• MEN'S 65-AAA

1. Game On (CA) - TOC

2. High Desert Roadrunners (NM)

3. SCW Sidewinders (AZ)

• MEN'S 65-AA

1. Makule Kinipopo (HI) - TOC

2. Scrap Iron Red (CO)

3. Central Valley Physiomotion (CA)

• MEN'S 70-MAJOR+

1. Top Gun 70's (CA) - TOC

2. D-99 (CA)

3. PDR/Fastsigns (OR)

• MEN'S 70-MAJOR

1. Mesa Cardinals (AZ) - TOC

2. Texans 70's (TX)

• MEN'S 70-AAA

1. Robson Ranch 70's (A) - TOC

2. El Paseo Bank (CA)

3. Lighthouse Loans, Inc. (CA)

• MEN'S 70-AA

1. Arizona Titans - TOC

2. Makule Kane (HI)

• MEN'S 75-MAJOR

1. Fairway Ford (CA) - TOC

2. Sidewinders 75's (AZ)

• MEN'S 75/80 DIVISION

1. C & M Building Materials (CA) - TOC (in 75-AAA)

2. Tiodize D-99 (CA) - TOC (in 80-Men)

• WOMEN'S 40-MASTERS GOLD

1. Kar Phone/TKP - TOC (in 40-Masters Major)

2. Team K.H.A.O.S. (CA) - TOC (in 40-Masters AAA)

3. Old School 40's (CA)

• WOMEN'S 40-MASTERS AA

1. Arizona Dream Team - TOC

2. Tharaldson Softball (NV)

3. Steel Runnin' (CA)

• WOMEN'S 50's DIVISION

1. No Limit (NV) - TOC

2. Philly's LJ Slammers (CA)

3. Texas Connection

• WOMEN'S 55-DIVISION

1. Tucson Classics (AZ) - TOC

2. Ohio Cardinals

3. California Spirit 55