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Resmondo/Worth turns it up a notch

By Don Bowman

Resmondo/Worth (FL) has turned it up a notch and has been playing much better these days at the men’s major level. Just this past weekend, Resmondo crushed No. 3 Long Haul Trucking/Miken (MN), 39-17, in the finals of the Columbus USSSA Major NIT in Ohio. Long Haul had to overcome a loss in the semifinals, 28-15, to the hands of Blitz/Watanabe (OH), but stormed back through the loser’s bracket to finish a strong 5-2. Also, for various reasons, Long Haul played without three of their top stars.

Local class ‘B’ powerhouse Showcase/Worth, still trying to find their way in the early going, went 1-2 in the very tough conference event on May 16-17. Earlier this month, Showcase had a much better outing in a Texas NIT, going 4-2.

A record-breaking Gopher hurler

Golden Gopher fastpitch hurler Brianna Hassett of Eagan led NCAA Division I softball pitchers in strikeouts and also set four school records for pitching this season! Obviously she was named the University of Minnesota’s MVP as well. Look for the Gophers to sign one the nation’s top high school sluggers, a Twin Cities area high school star, to a letter of intent very soon.

Tharaldson wins 6’s Wild

The 6’s Wild tournament at Treasure Island, had a sterling cast of Minnesota/North Dakota softball talent on display this past weekend. In men’s open play, Tharaldson Enterprises topped O&S Cattle/Pov’s in the championship to win the $2,000 bounty. Viessman Trucking continued their exceptional play as well, and illustrated why they are going to be a tough team to beat again this season as well. Over in the C/D division, Hoffman’s Softball is back on the map as they won tournament bragging rights in the lower bracket, and took home a large cash payout as well. Hoffman went undefeated at 5-0.

Bat testing nabs illegal bats

With goofballs still out there rolling and shaving slow pitch softball bats, bat testing has been more prevalent, especially at major slow pitch tournaments across the country. Recently two big-name stars for a major team, got ‘popped’ for using illegal (shaved/rolled) bats, and were thumped with a three-tournament suspension. It’s too bad just these two guys were pegged as bad guys, when softball players from coast to coast (Michigan included), have been using illegal bats for several years now. This bat altering technique gives an all new meaning to the term ‘male enhancement’.

In an effort to halt these bat altering techniques, bat manufacturers look to add some type of metal fiber in bat production next year, that will make bat rolling obsolete.

Hornett Capital wins NIT

The Hornett Capital men’s slow pitch squad, won the MN USSSA NIT at BeBops (Blaine), this past weekend, defeating the Jokers 12-5 in the finals. The Jokers fought their way out of the loser’s bracket, finishing 6-2 in this one, and earned a lot of respect in the process.

Sting the Ball Classic recap

The MN Sting-Sting the Ball Fastpitch Classic, featured some of the top area youth fast pitch teams on May 16-17 in Oakdale. When the dust settled, the Centennial Cougars 14U squad, defeated the Woodbury Royals 6-5 in the championship thriller! In girls 10U play, the Eagan Wildcats were crowned champions, as they bested a 12-team tournament field as well.

Fundraiser set for Ken Vierling

A fundraiser for popular ASA fastpitch umpire Ken Vierling, will be held August 29, at the Farmington American Legion. Everyone is welcome! Ken was traveling through Colorado a few weeks ago and was involved in a serious car accident, and could use a little help from all of us. Ken has been involved in JO fastpitch, men’s ASA fastpitch, Minnesota State High School League fastpitch and much more. Spread the word. I hope to see you on August 29!

North American World Championship

The World Softball League’s back-to-back weekend action of the North American World Championship play in Panama City Beach, Fla., has already drawn interest from over 100 teams! Teams can qualify by playing in WSL sanctioned events scheduled throughout the nation. The dates again this year are: Sept. 11-13, and Sept. 18-21. Both ASA and USSSA bat swinging teams can now take part in this great spectacle, all near the beautiful shores on the gulf side of Florida! For more info, check out the worldsoftballleague.com website now!

A successful Woodbury Wildpitch

The Woodbury Wildpitch Fast Pitch Tournament drew record crowds again this year, and proved once again why it is one of the top youth fastpitch tournaments in the state. The annual Mother’s Day weekend event, featured a team that had not one, but two varsity pitchers who start for a metro area high school. What sets them apart is one is only an eighth grader and the other is only in ninth grade. What a future they have.