SPARKS, NV – FTP/Soplas traveled from Los Angeles to take the title of the 11-team men’s E division with an impressive 18-6 win over Frozen Rope (Carson City, NV), again without the need for an “if” game. In the bottom of the 4th inning Ropes’ pitcher Tim Fowler left the field due to leg cramps, moving to the AH spot as the team was batting 11. In the top of the 5th when his spot in the order came up to bat, the Soplas team showed true sportsmanship, putting him on with a walk without even taking a pitch. A pinch runner took his spot on first base and ended up scoring in the inning.

Soplas compiled a 4-0 record, and dominated the division from beginning to end. They started out with a 12-0 shutout over Bad Guys (Sparks, NV), and then knocked Frozen Rope into the loser’s bracket with a 24-7 win. Soplas gave Rope a preview of things to come in their first encounter, scoring 13 runs in the bottom of the first. Another lopsided win, 18-5 over Don’t Trip (Dixon, CA), put Soplas in the championship.

One of the more competitive games of the division happened between Frozen Rope and Don’t Trip in the game to see who would get another shot at the eventual champions. Both teams scored in all but one inning.

By the end of the fourth, Don’t Trip held a 7-5 lead, and then added to it with two in the fifth and four in the sixth. But Rope picked up a run in the bottom of the fifth, and then put together a big sixth with eight runs to take a 14-13 lead. Trip tied the game with a run in the top of the seventh and again Rope answered with the deciding run in the bottom of the inning.

Jerry Osgura of Soplas took home the Offensive MVP award and Frozen Rope’s Tim Fowler was awarded the Gold Glove. All-tournament went to Cesar Ochoa, Jayson Tello and Manual Diaz, Soplas; Mike Scott, Rick Garska and Khris Kaufman, Frozen Rope; Daniel Chu and Mark Perez, Don’t Trip; and Jay Kriebel and Jeff Thompson, Softball NV, which finished fourth.

Rug Bugs/Easton (Sacramento,CA) had to survive a 14-10 loss to TOTT (San Ramon, CA) in the first championship game of the 11-team co-ed division before taking home the first-place trophy with an “if” game win. TOTT avenged a 33-20 pounding by Rug Bugs that sent them into the loser’s bracket in the first title game.

On their way to a rematch, TOTT beat Sunnyvale, CA’s Local Motion, 24-4, in the fourth-place game, and Jet Plumbing/Regulators (Spraks, NV), 12-10, in the third-place game.

Rug Bug’s Dean Amos and Valea Crowder shared MVP honors, while Nathan Szuty from TOTT took the Gold Glove award. Rug Bugs placed Steve Saragosa, Rebecca Hanson and Michelle Villegas on the all-tournament team. They were joined by Jack Taylor, Trina Valencia and Mike Quinn, TOTT; Heather Hamilton and Josh Hargrove, Regulators; and Josh Miran, Hazel DeGuzman, Timmy Kashitani and Janet Ng, Local Motion.

SCH/DSS Bats from Dayton, NV spotted Gardnervilles’ Taylor Made seven runs in the first inning, but then came back to take a 16-14 victory in the men’s D division of the 25th annual Softball West Challenge. SCH started its comeback in the top of the third with seven runs, but still trailed, 14-12, going into the seventh. Four clutch runs in the top of the 7th and then some defense gave SCH the title.

Both teams headed into the winner’s bracket final with 3-0 records and SCH came out on top of that meeting with a 22-14 decision. SCH only trailed after the top of the first in this one, giving up five runs, but then scoring eight. Taylor Made came back with seven runs in the fourth, only to see SCH answer back again with another eight runs of its own.

Two runs in the fifth, and four more in the sixth put the game away and knocked Taylor Made into the loser’s bracket of the eight-team event, where it took the loss out on BFC, Sparks, NV, in the game for third place.

Ben’s made an impressive run in the loser’s bracket after losing its first game with four wins, including a victory over Team Impact/Miken from Eagle, ID in the fourth-place game.

SCH’s Angel Olvera was named the division MVP and Taylor Made’s Matt Jacobsen was awarded the Gold Glove. All-tournament selections were: Paco Vasquez and Jeremy Kinney, SCH; Chad Eaton and John Gibbs, Taylor Made; Billy Doyle and Ben Ross, BFC; and Ben Sparrow and Steve Miller, Team Impact.
The Softball West Challenge has become the second-longest running slowpitch tournament in the Reno-Sparks area, trailing only September’s Smoke Tournament, which will play its 26th edition this year.