Nevada Fitness runner Chris Scott can't quite get away from the tag by Arsenals' Dave Lytle. Smedes photo.

SPARKS, NV - The ASA Nevada ‘D’ State championship was held July 9th at the Don Mello Sports Complex in Sparks, Nevada. With a berth to the national finals in Midland, Texas later this summer on the line, ten experienced squads, all capable of running the table anytime they show up at a tournament faced off against each other in a double elimination format that would give the winner softball supremacy in Nevada’s ‘D’ division for 2005.

In the run up prior to the start of the tournament teams were expecting hot, dry Northern Nevada summer weather but on Saturday morning the weather turned cool and cloudy. While the temperature may have cooled, it certainly did not cool off the competitive air of the tournament.

Only one team managed to go through the tournament unscathed. Nevada Fitness recorded a perfect 4-0 record that saw them win two games by one run each and two other games by a mere three runs each.

Nevada Fitness combined timely hitting with a defense that held off rallies at the right time to defeat a tournament tested Arsenal team twice by the scores of 8-5 in the winner’s bracket semi-final and 14-11 in the final to win the state championship.

After the top two finishers, third and fourth place went to Smoke Softball Club and BFC who both finished with identical 4-2 records. Smoke earned third place by virtue of beating BFC 22-10 in the loser’s bracket semi-final game.

Nevada Fitness’ Brad Main was named Offensive MVP and teammates Will Albin, Darren Ketchum, Greg Lehman and Howard Cunningham garnered all-state selections. Defensive MVP went to Arsenal’s Bruce Jacobsen. Matt Tretton, Tommie Cook and Dave Lytle made all state from Arsenal. Rounding out the all state team from the Smoke Softball Club were Wade Ashby, Mark Little and Tucker Smedes.