RENO-SPARKS, NV – Multi-colored and multi-shaped hot air balloons again flew, and so did bright yellow softballs the weekend of September 8-9. And in the men’s “D” division of the 19th Annual Hot Air Balloon Race Slow Pitch Tournament, the softballs at times were rocketing out of the Shadow Mountain Complex – even though they went down in the scorebook as an out.

Yet it was kind of entertaining watching the towering drives off the bats of the High Sierra (Quincy, CA) and D-12 players, who slugged it out in the championship.

D-12 came out of the loser’s bracket to force an “If” game after outscoring High Sierra, 16-7 in the first championship game. But D-12 could manage only two runs through five innings of the decisive meeting, and High Sierra outscored the Sparks team, 16-9.

High Sierra was almost knocked into the loser’s bracket in the first game of the 29-team event, but hung on to beat Local Boyz, 13-12. From there it was one blowout after another, until the first title game. High Sierra knocked off Alaska Pride, 26-11, Overhead Door, 18-8, The Rats, 19-5, and Skcubs, 16-9.

D-12 played most of the tournament in the winner’s bracket as well, staying undefeated until a 10-9 loss to Skcubs, which finished third. The dirty dozen then eliminated All Out, 17-5, The Rats, who came all the way from Seattle, WA and finished fourth, 19-13, and Skcubs, another local group, 23-12. Skcubs took the third-place plaque.

In the meetings against Skcubs and the Rats, D-12 took big leads, and then let both teams back into the game. D-12 built a 14-6 lead after the top of the third in the game against Skcubs, but Skcubs came back with five runs in the bottom of the third, and six more in the fourth before D-12 put the game away with eight in the fifth. The eventual second-place finishers jumped out to a 14-1 lead against the Rats after three, but the Rats scored ten times in three innings to trail 16-11 going to the bottom of the sixth.

The reverse happened in the first title game, as D-12 scored 13 of its 16 runs in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings. But High Sierra took charge from the beginning of the final game, and had built a 16-2 advantage before D-12 tried to rally in the bottom of the sixth with seven runs.

High Sierra’s Neal Rebel was named Offensive MVP and Anthony Powell of D-12 took the Defensive MVP award. All-Tournament selections were Ron Haven, Tom Tucker, Cory Munoz and Donovan Beater of High Sierra. Rocco Pelino, Jordan Kendall and Al Rodgers III were named all-tourneys for D-12. Gabe Velesques and Chris Scott were all-tourneys for the Skcubs and Dave Jones was for the Rats.

The event also featured two co-ed divisions that were played at the Reno Sports Complex, right across the street from the fields that the balloons were lifting off from.

“Many teams played very well,” said tournament director Doug Foremaster of the 34-team lower division. But in the end, Hi-Lo from Red Bluff, CA, and .08, out of Sacramento,CA, battled for the championship. Hi-Lo gave .08 little chance. It jumped out to a 13-2 lead after four and never looked back in a 13-7 win. Got Mana of Tracy, CA, took third and Red Eye of Sparks finished fourth.

Lookin 2 Score of Yuba City, CA, took the championship for the 14-team upper co-ed division with a 13-12 win over Capital City Crush of Rancho Cordova, CA. Junk of Gardnerville, NV, finished third and the Santa Barbara Slump Busters wound up fourth.

After getting dropped into the loser’s bracket by Lookin 2 Score, Capital City had a 12-11 lead going to the bottom of the seventh of the title game, but couldn’t hold it. Lookin scored twice to end it.