2012 Music City Classic tournament report
2012 "Music City" Classic
Gallatin, TN
May 18-20
The "Music City" Classic had a huge field of 40 teams. 27 of them were from the Nationwide Insurance Conference USSSA and the competition did not disappoint. There were upsets and comebacks, but in the end it was the pre-season #1 team Resmondo-Specialty Tank Worth based out of Winter Haven, Florida who knocked off pre-season #2 team LaserVision/Annihilation/Supreme/D2E/Easton in the "if" game of the championship to take the prized guitar trophy.
The tournament began at 6 PM Friday night with 8 "play-in" games in the bracket which were mostly local non-conference teams. The weather for the weekend was near perfect and there was only a little mid-day heat to deal with. The second round of 32 teams had a few good battles as Primetime knocked off Blitz 24-21, Down2Earth outlasted Wheelhouse 31-28 and Line Drive beat Major League 25-24 in extra innings. By the round of 16, all of the teams remaining were Conference teams.
The main complex at Triple Creek Park features a wheel of 4 diamonds with the following dimensions:
F9 325-355-365-355-325
F11 325-355-365-345-320
The other two fields at the main wheel
295-300-310-290-280
283-303-315-315-305
F9 and F11 were the main diamonds with F9 being the show field. On F9 and F11 they used the stadium ball which was perfect for those fields under most conditions.
There were 40 teams overall from 17 different states. 4 Major teams, 6 'A', 15 'B', 10 'C', and 5 'D' teams.
There was full bat compression testing and a nice group of conference umpires that did an outstanding job.
In the round of 16 – Primetime knocked off rival Georgia 'B' team Down2Earth 23-12, LinedriveSportz had a revenge win over Team 454 29-14. Revenge win because of the game Linedrive had with Team 454 back in Las Vegas where 454 pulled out a 38-37 win late in the loser's bracket. Shoppe fought off Baugh Ford 31-29 and Team Combat knocked off CA Sports 26-24 in a close one but R&M, Nordkap, LaserVision, and Resmondo all were favorites in their games and moved on fairly easily.
In the round of 8 – R&M Metals had some long offensive innings and beat down Nordkap 36-16 early Saturday afternoon. Laser Vision cruised past Primetime 28-7. Shoppe dropped Linedrive to the loser's bracket 26-16 and Resmondo who was tied with Team Combat early on, pulled away to a 35-14 blowout.
The final 4 started at 9 PM on Saturday night with Resmondo trailing Shoppe most of the early part of the game. Then Shoppe failed to score much in 3 straight innings in the middle of the game and Resmondo scratched out a 34-29 win. In the other semi-final R&M who only had 10 players for the whole weekend was leading Laser Vision by 6 runs going into the bottom of the 7th and Laser Vision only had one homer left to hit. Laser Vision methodically picked apart the R&M defense with some big hits by Bryson Baker, Brian Wegman, and Brett Helmer and won on a walk off backside single by Scott Kirby.
This led to a much anticipated winner's bracket championship game between the two super powers (Resmondo and Laser Vision) that have not really lived up to the hype this season. Resmondo proved to be the team to beat as they controlled the game most of the way and won by run rule on a walk off homer by the recently added Jeff Hall.
Jeff Halls walk off run rule homer video
Meanwhile the loser's bracket was littered with great Conference teams that fell by the wayside for one reason or another. Still left standing at 3 AM in the morning Sunday was Team Combat who outlasted R&M Metals 50-49 and Shoppe who drilled a tired but successful CA Sports team 46-9. There were rumors of Shoppe having scored 31 runs in one inning. I wouldn't know, I was sound asleep and their game finished around 2 AM.
In the morning at 8 AM both Shoppe and Combat played a decent game considering almost no sleep and Shoppe pulled away 30-14 to go to the loser's bracket championship against Laser Vision. Laser Vision then knocked off Shoppe 34-30 and proceeded to dominate Resmondo 24-4 in the first game of the championship to force the "if" game. Laser Vision outplayed Resmondo in every phase of the game and looked poised to "double dip" the Sodders.
Resmondo quickly inserted tournament MVP Howie Krause and left fielder Scott Striebel back into the lineup for the final game. Softball is a strange game of momentum though and with Krause inserted into the 3 spot in the lineup Resmondo jumped out to a 12-2 lead and never looked back. When Laser Vision cut the lead to 23-15, Resmondo responded with a most impressive 27 run 5th inning in the heat of the day to put Laser Vision away 50-28.
The entire tournament was just one great matchup after another all the way to the end. Tough to keep up with but fun to be around.
Congratulations to all of the participants and thanks to tournament director Brooks Cherry, his staff, USSSA, and the umpires for a great weekend.
Resmondo morale was down at the end of the first game of the championship when they were down 22-2 to Laser Vision
Laser Vision in the green takes on Shoppe in the red in the loser's bracket championship game
I was headed to the hotel when Shoppe got set to take on CA Sports around 1 AM on Saturday night
Linedrives Dan Evans pitches to Team 454's Don Rogers during Linedrives 29-14 upset
Music City Classic tournament bracket
2012 Nationwide Insurance Conference Schedule
There was a big crowd on hand on Friday night
Pure Romance takes on B&B Sears on Saturday
Remember to email pictures or scans of your stat sheets to dw@softballcenter.com for posting in a picture album and to be used to verify totals. Stats without pictures/scans of each score sheet will be removed from the USSSA site.
Video Highlites brought to you by:
Random video highlites
7th Inning Comeback of the week brought to you by:
The Laser Vision comeback vs R&M in the sem-finals is your comeback of the week. Laser Vision was down 6 going into the bottom of the 7th with only one homer left and won 37-36 on a walk off single by Scott Kirby.
The Mojo Masher of the week conference "newbie" is Travis Dale
Travis has been mashing the ball from the lead off spot in the Reds Astros lineup while playing some great defense at shortstop.
.808 onbase (21-26, 6 HR, 22 RBI, 1 BB)
"Music City" Classic Tournament Awards and Final Standings:
Player Tournament Awards | Players Name | Plays For |
Tournament MVP | Resmondo-Specialty Tank Worth | |
Offensive Tournament MVP | Laservision/Anni/Supr/D2/Easton | |
Defensive Tournament CO-MVP | Resmondo-Specialty Tank Worth | |
Defensive Tournament CO-MVP | Resmondo-Specialty Tank Worth | |
All Tournament Team | SHOPPE / TEAM TPS / ELITE | |
All Tournament Team | SHOPPE / TEAM TPS / ELITE | |
All Tournament Team | Laservision/Anni/Supr/D2/Easton | |
All Tournament Team | Team Combat/Pacific Headwear | |
All Tournament Team | ||
All Tournament Team | Laservision/Anni/Supr/D2/Easton | |
All Tournament Team | Team Combat/Pacific Headwear | |
All Tournament Team | Resmondo-Specialty Tank Worth | |
All Tournament Team | Laservision/Anni/Supr/D2/Easton | |
All Tournament Team | Resmondo-Specialty Tank Worth | |
All Tournament Team | Laservision/Anni/Supr/D2/Easton | |
All Tournament Team | SHOPPE / TEAM TPS / ELITE | |
All Tournament Team | Resmondo-Specialty Tank Worth | |
All Tournament Team | Resmondo-Specialty Tank Worth | |
All Tournament Team | Resmondo-Specialty Tank Worth | |
All Tournament Team | SHOPPE / TEAM TPS / ELITE | |
All Tournament Team | Resmondo-Specialty Tank Worth |
Place | State | Team | Team Class | Wins | Loses | Ties | Runs Scored | Runs Allow | Avg Runs | Avg Allow | Avg Diff | Max Runs | |
1 | FL | SPMensMajor | 6 | 1 | 0 | 217 | 137 | 31 | 19.5 | 11.4 | 50 | 300 | |
2 | NYU | SPMensMajor | 6 | 2 | 0 | 232 | 179 | 29 | 22.3 | 6.62 | 37 | 225 | |
3 | TN | SPMensA | 5 | 2 | 0 | 218 | 151 | 31.1 | 21.5 | 9.57 | 46 | 200 | |
4 | WA | SPMensMajor | 5 | 2 | 0 | 197 | 192 | 28.1 | 27.4 | 0.71 | 50 | 175 | |
5 | TN | SPMensA | 6 | 2 | 0 | 173 | 154 | 21.6 | 19.2 | 2.37 | 37 | 155 | |
5 | IA | SPMensA | 3 | 2 | 0 | 185 | 136 | 37 | 27.2 | 9.8 | 49 | 155 | |
7 | GA | SPMensB | 4 | 2 | 0 | 152 | 167 | 25.3 | 27.8 | -2.5 | 35 | 130 | |
7 | GA | SPMensB | 3 | 2 | 0 | 106 | 117 | 21.2 | 23.4 | -2.2 | 31 | 130 | |
9 | IN | SPMensB | 3 | 2 | 0 | 136 | 101 | 27.2 | 20.2 | 7 | 36 | 110 | |
9 | MS | SPMensB | 3 | 2 | 0 | 95 | 95 | 19 | 19 | 0 | 31 | 110 | |
9 | UT | SPMensMajor | 2 | 2 | 0 | 71 | 90 | 17.7 | 22.5 | -4.7 | 29 | 110 | |
9 | MI | SPMensB | 2 | 2 | 0 | 97 | 98 | 24.2 | 24.5 | -0.2 | 29 | 110 | |
13 | AR | SPMensB | 3 | 2 | 0 | 97 | 72 | 19.4 | 14.4 | 5 | 25 | 70 | |
13 | OHO | SPMensA | 3 | 2 | 0 | 91 | 66 | 18.2 | 13.2 | 5 | 29 | 70 | |
13 | AL | SPMensB | 2 | 2 | 0 | 106 | 100 | 26.5 | 25 | 1.5 | 40 | 70 | |
13 | VA | SPMensA | 2 | 2 | 0 | 98 | 93 | 24.5 | 23.2 | 1.25 | 32 | 70 | |
17 | NC | SPMensB | 2 | 2 | 0 | 74 | 69 | 18.5 | 17.2 | 1.25 | 28 | 40 | |
17 | GA | SPMensC | 2 | 2 | 0 | 76 | 44 | 19 | 11 | 8 | 32 | 40 | |
17 | GA | SPMensB | 2 | 2 | 0 | 71 | 64 | 17.7 | 16 | 1.75 | 26 | 40 | |
17 | OHO | SPMensC | 2 | 2 | 0 | 41 | 44 | 10.2 | 11 | -0.7 | 16 | 40 | |
17 | TN | SPMensC | 2 | 2 | 0 | 70 | 81 | 17.5 | 20.2 | -2.7 | 25 | 40 | |
17 | OHO | SPMensC | 1 | 2 | 0 | 60 | 63 | 20 | 21 | -1 | 33 | 40 | |
17 | VA | SPMensA | 1 | 2 | 0 | 68 | 67 | 22.6 | 22.3 | 0.33 | 27 | 40 | |
17 | MI | SPMensB | 1 | 2 | 0 | 41 | 60 | 13.6 | 20 | -6.3 | 18 | 40 | |
25 | OHC | SPMensB | 1 | 2 | 0 | 46 | 49 | 15.3 | 16.3 | -0.9 | 17 | 40 | |
25 | OHO | SPMensB | 1 | 2 | 0 | 43 | 53 | 14.3 | 17.6 | -3.3 | 19 | 40 | |
25 | MI | SPMensC | 1 | 2 | 0 | 38 | 52 | 12.6 | 17.3 | -4.6 | 20 | 40 | |
25 | NYD | SPMensB | 1 | 2 | 0 | 67 | 66 | 22.3 | 22 | 0.33 | 30 | 40 | |
25 | MS | SPMensB | 1 | 2 | 0 | 41 | 70 | 13.6 | 23.3 | -9.6 | 22 | 40 | |
25 | WI | SPMensB | 1 | 2 | 0 | 58 | 75 | 19.3 | 25 | -5.6 | 28 | 40 | |
25 | IN | SPMensC | 1 | 2 | 0 | 32 | 72 | 10.6 | 24 | -13. | 18 | 40 | |
25 | TN | SPMensC | 1 | 2 | 0 | 28 | 47 | 9.33 | 15.6 | -6.3 | 11 | 40 | |
33 | TN | SPMensD | 0 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 40 | 5 | 20 | -15 | 8 | 0 | |
33 | TN | SPMensD | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 32 | 1 | 16 | -15 | 1 | 0 | |
33 | KY | SPMensC | 0 | 2 | 0 | 19 | 26 | 9.5 | 13 | -3.5 | 10 | 40 | |
33 | MS | SPMensC | 0 | 2 | 0 | 17 | 33 | 8.5 | 16.5 | -8 | 14 | 40 | |
33 | FL | SPMensC | 0 | 2 | 0 | 11 | 42 | 5.5 | 21 | -15. | 7 | 40 | |
33 | TN | SPMensD | 0 | 2 | 0 | 32 | 54 | 16 | 27 | -11 | 24 | 0 | |
33 | TN | SPMensD | 0 | 2 | 0 | 29 | 52 | 14.5 | 26 | -11. | 21 | 0 | |
33 | TN | SPMensD | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 46 | 2 | 23 | -21 | 4 | 40 |
Team by team notes brought to you by:
1st Place – Resmondo-Specialty Tank/WorthGTGGNo Nolkjdsa;lkajsdlkgajaljn
Conf 'M' from Winter Haven, FL 6-1 Record
Resmondo is back! I think… Resmondo struggled a little bit early on in the tournament. A common remark about Resmondo after their first two games against PEI and P&P was that if they were playing someone better, they probably would have lost. PEI, a Nashville 'C' team actually was beating Resmondo 6-5 in the opener on Friday night. Resmondo woke up some against Team Combat in a 35-14 win but then Shoppe took a 11-1 lead on them in the semi-finals Saturday night before Resmondo roared back and beat them 34-29.
In the winner's bracket finals Resmondo used a walk off grand slam by newly aquired Jeff Hall to run rule Laser Vision 32-15.
On Sunday in the championship it felt like Resmondo would have Laser Visions number again but Resmondo came out as flat as they have been in recent history and between bad defense and horrible offense they lost 24-4 and had to regroup for the "IF" game.
In the "IF" game Resmondo inserted MVP Howie Krause back into the lineup and they stormed out to a big lead. Laser Vision came back to close the gap to 8 runs in the 4th before Resmondo put on their most impressive offensive inning of the season plating 27 runs in the heat of the day on a baseball field and won the game in the 6th inning 50-28.
Jeff Hall played great offensively. Howie Krause it seemed at one point hit 7 straight homer's (not sure if there was a walk in between there or not). Connell, Mack and really the whole team hit it pretty good except for that first game of the championship. Pitcher Andy Purcell is still out but should be back for Chicago or the Dudley. And they proved they can win with Watson at pitcher.
Is Resmondo back? Who should be ranked #1? The 2012 season plays out different every week and for different reasons. Noone knows what will happen but if Resmondo wins the Dudley which is usually their turning point then we will know they are truly back.
Resmondo footage (some of my sponsors wanted som extra footage of their players)
Veteran Jeff Hall was impressive, mixing base hits with game ending homer's as if he had never taken off two years
Don Dedonatis Jr made the best play of the tournament with a full out dive in the hole and throw out in the championship. Why other infielders don't use a big glove like Jr is beyond me.
Resmondo 3rd baseman Jimmy Salas was leading the nation in onbase percentage coming into the tournament
2nd Place – Laser VisionAnnihilation/Supreme/D2E/Easton GTGG
Conf 'M' from Cicero, NY 6-2 Record
Laser Vision looked like the team to beat as they won their first 4 games including a walk off win over a stubborn R&M Metals team in the semi-finals 37-36. Then against Resmondo they puckered up once again in the winner's final losing 32-15. But to their credit they came back Sunday morning and outplayed Resmondo in the first championship game in every facet of the game in a 24-4 mercy rule victory. With momentum on their side going into the final game, Laser Vision failed to "finish" as a mid game comeback to close the gap to 8 ended in a 50-28 beating.
Bryson Baker pulled a calf muscle just before the first championship game and was a last minute scratch from the lineup but Brian Rainwater did a nice job in the lead off spot in his place.
Laser Vision trails the season series with Resmondo 4 games to 2 but I think we may see a steady diet of these two teams battling it out for tournament wins as we head for Chicago, the Dudley, and the Smoky Mountain Classic.
Sorry to Helmer. I had to put the popup vs TMade in there. It was a great catch. And note how many times 3rd base coach tells Wegman to stay at third when he runs through the stop sign…lol
Laser Vision lead off hitter and middle infielder Bryson Baker pulled a calf muscle pretty bad just before the championship game
Helmer and his protege Ryan Thiede hit 2-3 in the Laser Vision order
Lopez, Kennington, and Kirby on the left side of the Laser Vision defense after Bryson pulled a calf muscle
Kevini Kennington gets the DirtySportsWear.com arm thingy of the week
3rd Place – Shoppe/Team TPS/Elite GTGG
Conf 'A' from McKenzie, TN 5-2 Record
Coming off of last weeks 9-2 performance in Indiana, Shoppe definitely wanted to stay in the winner's bracket as long as possible. They had no easy games as they beat 3rd Street Financial, Baugh Ford, and Linedrive in consecutive games to open the Music City. Then against Resmondo in the semi-final they came out with a big lead early on and it looked like they would cruise to a huge win. Resmondo came back though and shut down Shoppe 3 innings in a row in the middle of the game and Shoppe lost 34-29.
In the loser's bracket Shoppe had to wait until after midnight to start their game against CA Sports and they put up a 31 run inning and beat them 46-9. Then on Sunday morning they sent Team Combat packing with a solid 30-14 win and battled Laser Vision in the loser's bracket championship til the end before losing 34-30.
Shoppe has made some changes to their lineup with Lee Powers at lead off and Jeff Payton and Cory Boothe (hurt now – obleak?) now playing more and it seems to have paid off. This team can win with its defense or its top heavy offense but they have learned to win. For 3 innings they looked like they were even better than Resmondo. Shoppe is putting in the effort and if they aren't too banged up, are the favorite to win Atlanta this coming weekend.
Shoppe's Jeff Payton moved into the starting lineup and they have been winning ever since
Shoppe's Eric Thompson sets the table for Cocco's home run onslaught
Shoppe's Tim Cocco continued his power streak
4th Place – Team Combat/Pacific Headwear GTGG
Conf 'M' from Kent, WA 5-2 Record
Team Combat hit all 12 homer's in their opener to beat Headhunters 34-19. Then they used a walk off homer by pitcher Derek Warren to beat CA Sports 26-24. They then faced Resmondo who was prime for an upset and kept it close early but the offense fell silent and the defense opened the flood gates in a 35-14 loss.
In the loser's bracket Combat sent home Buzini, D2E, and late Saturday night at 3 AM sent home R&M Metals 50-49. They then got up and played Shoppe at 8 AM Sunday morning and didn't really hang in the game, losing 30-14.
Combat improves its numbers to above .500 against 'A' and 'B' teams. They moved center fielder Davis Bilardello to the two spot in the order and veterans Johnny McCraw, Scott Brown, and Mike Dill continue to hit it well and things were looking up. Then in that final game against Shoppe, their leading hitter Scott Brown pulled a hamstring that looked pretty bad. Hopefully he can make it back for the Seattle dual in two weeks.
Combat left hand power hitter Casey Rogowski is off to a hot start after taking off 2011
Combats leading hitter Scott Brown pulled a hamstring in the 3rd place game Sunday morning
Tied 5th – CA Sports/Miken GTGG
Conf 'A' from Smyrna, TN 6-2 Record
CA Sports has had some big roster changes. They lost lead off hitter Ryan Robbins to Nordkap, and one of the coaches Doug Reed left and infielder Brian Blount went with him. They also parted ways with outfielder Brian Farrar and hitter Landon Helm recently. So to be honest they showed up in Tennessee with a lot of players I had never seen before and wearing names on their jersey's that weren't their own.
So I have to call this the best no-name team in the country right now because they showed up and put a 20-0 smackdown on Fort Campbell Softball, and a walk off homer by Adam Shoopman gave them a second round victory over Reds Astros 22-21. In the third round it took a walk off homer by Derek Warren for Team Combat to send them to the loser's bracket 26-24.
Then they rattled off 4 straight – EAP, Blitz, crushed Nordkap/Desert Falls 30-5, and sent Primetime home 37-31 before running out of gas against Shoppe at 2 AM in the morning 46-9.
Wow, 6 big victories, a new team roster, and a promising summer ahead for CA Sports.
Curtiss Wilson pitched most of CA's 8 games
Tied 5th – R&M Metals/Troupe/Pipac/S&R/Easton GTGG
Conf 'A' from Waterloo, IA 3-2 Record
Losson White pitching, Ricky Salazar at 2B, and Reggie Schulte in RF for R&M Metals
A strange season for R&M with all of the injuries (Dillon, Anderson, Fields) and roster changes (losing Watson etc) brought R&M to Nashville in bad shape and with the addition of SS Kevin Lucas from Syndicate, they had just 10 players to play. So with low expectations they simply went out and put a whoopin on 3 straight Conference opponents, Sportscenter 32-17, Buzini 32-16, and most impressively a 36-16 drubbing of the #1 team in the nation Nordkap/Desert Falls.
Riding the momentum into the sem-finals they took a 6 run lead over Laser Vision into the bottom of the 7th and lost by 1. In the loser's bracket in a game that ended at 3 AM in the morning it took a walk off hit by Combat to send them home 50-49.
R&M played loose and confident and come away with some huge wins, points, and hopefully the confidence to know they can play with anyone anywhere. The 0-2 record this season vs the 'A' division is a little odd though.
R&M Metals picked up Kevin Lucas who did a nice job as SS
Tied 7th – Down2EarthSports.com/SBC/Worth GTGGied 7th
Conf 'B' from Baxley, GA 4-2 Record
D2E continues to win with whoever puts on the jersey. They had a couple of new faces as they picked up Brendan Hampton to play some infield and Brandon Connell for the outfield. Blaine Bolin and Shannon Leonhardt have departed. D2E struggled surprisingly with Wheelhouse in their opener and lost their second game to Georgia rival Primetime. Then they beat H&H, came from behind twice to beat Taylormade 35-32 and sent home Linedrive late Saturday 34-27 before Combat laid a whoopin on them.
D2E scores big points again and next week in Atlanta should be a favorite for a top 3 run and maybe an outside shot at the tournament they finished 2nd at a year ago.
D2E's Bruce Nails is one of the most underrated hitters in the Conference
Tied 7th – Primetime/Easton GTGG
Conf 'B' from Macon, GA 3-2 Record
Primetime scored 21 runs or more in 4 of their 5 games. They competed well and knocked off Blitz, D2E, and Reds. 3 teams that have played well recently. They lost to Laser Vision and were knocked out late Saturday by CA Sports 37-31. Primetime showed a little more athleticism and seemed to have all of their regulars (although I need to get to know this team a little better in Atlanta this week).
Someone send me some names, P, SS, LF?
Names? CF, RF. Thanks
The Rest of the Conference Teams:
Tied for 9th – Red's Astros/TPS/Sports Den – Lost their opener to CA Sports on a walk off homer 22-21. But they salvaged the weekend with an impressive 3 game win streak in the loser's bracket over The Scene, Team 454, and the hot Baugh Ford. Then they ran into Primetime and lost by 2. Some new faces in outfielder Brian Farrar, slugger Landon Helm, and veteran hitter John Steele.
Tied for 9th – BuziniSports.com/BWW/Worth – A solid 'B' win over The Scene to start the tournament. Then R&M who was on an offensive roll beat them 32-16. In the loser's bracket Buzini knocked off Major League and FBI and fought Combat to the end before losing 27-23. Another solid tournament for Buzini who is one of the better 'B' teams and it doesn't seem to matter what class their opponent is, they play their game and let the chips fall where they may.
Tied for 9th – Nordkap/Desert Falls/Easton – held off PRI in the second round then R&M just took the winner's bracket quarter final away from them. When they came back Saturday night in the loser's bracket they did so with some lineup changes and got hammered by CA Sports 30-5.
Tied for 9th – Line Drive Sportz/SSS Softball – Beat Major League by one in extra innings after dropping the game winning out in the bottom of the 7th. Run ruled Team 454 very impressively. Then dropped to Shoppe and D2E in competitive games.
Tied for 13th – Fence Brokers/Gametime Supply/Worth – Lost to Baugh Ford on Friday night 40-25 and was banished to the back fields where they knocked off C and D teams until Buzini sent them home 14-13. Changes coming.
Tied for 13th – blitz/weller/watanabe/k&g/easton – Lost the Friday night game to Primetime putting them in the losers bracket way too early. Held Mudcats, 3rd Street, and P&P to single digits in wins, before CA Sports sent them home 18-14.
Tied for 13th – baugh ford.com/logo express/advantage – Out slugged FBI on Friday night 40-25. Nearly upset Shoppe before losing 31-29 on Saturday. Sent B&B home, before losing to Reds Astros. Offense led by Kyle Pearson and Michael Blakeman
Tied for 13th – Taylormade/TM Sports/Mizuno – Beat TG United in a good game, lost by the run rule to Laser Vision, run ruled Headhunters, before D2E came from behind and sent Taylormade home early 35-32 when the ball started flying. Look for a rematch with D2E this weekend in Atlanta.
Tied for 17th – B&B/Sears/N&N Finishing – Lost to PRI in a long but good game. Crushed two locals, then Baugh Ford sent them home 24-8. The team didn't have the offense they showed down at the Hall of Fame tournament.
Tied for 17th – major league dynasty/d2e/adiktiv – Had a chance to beat Linedrive when LD dropped the last out of the game and the game went extra innings. Major League then crushed two local teams before Buzini held them down 11-4. ATL next week for Major League where they play well.
Tied for 17th – headhunter/cancooker/shssports.com – Made one comeback against Combat before Combat out powered them 34-19 in their opener. Beat FCS and Sportscenter by a combined 43-6 before Taylormade sent them home by the run rule. An ok weekend for Headhunters before firing up the CanCooker. Look for them to try and make a run at a Sunday finish in their home state of Georgia this weekend.
Tied for 17th – Pure Romance/Easton – beat B&B Sears 33-24 in a long and entertaining game. Lasted 7 innings with an outside shot at Nordkap, then was eliminated by FBI.
Tied for 17th – Team 454/Emerald/Worth – This is like the only picture I got of 454 as I expected them to continue on. Tripped up by LineDrive early in the tournament then flat out beat by Reds Astros 33-27. 454 will drop big time in all the rankings and throws away a weekend of Conference points.
Tied for 17th – p&p 333/suburban/larrys/aos/combat – Beat Columbus Pipe, then played ok against Resmondo before losing, and was eliminated 8-7 by Blitz.
Tied for 25th – columbus pipe/dss bats/easton – Lost to P&P 16-14 to open the tournament, beat Players Warehouse 15-10, then unexplicably lost to H&H 23-17. Team is digging themselves a points hole which means they'll be facing the Resmondo's in the 2nd round every week. Team was out before I could get a picture…
Tied for 25th – TG United – Played a long opening round game against Taylormade but lost 29-20. Knocked off a local by 1, before putting up just 3 runs against EAP?
Tied for 25th – The Scene/Easton – Buzini line drived them to death, then they sent home SBI before Reds eliminated them. Still struggling, lots of talent, this team can turn it around. Rumors of them folding are unfounded.
Tied for 25th – TPS/Sports Center – beat SBI by 1 to start the tournament, then got run ruled by R&M Metals and only scored 2 against Headhunters? A work in progress here, hopefully they can get it going in Houston where they should be the favorite in most of their early games.
Tied for 25th – Wheelhouse/Spiderz/GameTimeSupply – Beat the local Mudcats on a Matt Michael walk off homer in the bottom of the 8th inning and came within 3 runs of D2E before being sent to the loser's bracket where they were knocked out by FBI.
More pictures below
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I would like to thank all of my sponsors for their support, USSSA, and the tournament directors as well!
I will be in Atlanta Saturday for the major!
Send corrections to dw@softballcenter.com
Link to all the photos from Music City Classic
Link to SoftballCenter.com broadcast archive
(support the amateur broadcasts by paypal dale_weiser@yahoo.com or email for an address)
Link to the SoftballCenter.com Youtube channel
Atlanta tournament bracket link when ready
2012 Conference USSSA Schedule
Link to the 2012 Tournament Reports
As always send dw@softballcenter.com any errors you see in the report or links that do not work. Thanks.
Some more pictures for you:
Tennessee USSSA State Director Chris Clark (left) presents Music City director Brooks Cherry with the USSSA "Southern Division Tournament of the Year" award
3rd Street Financial takes on Sumner Elite on Friday night
Kevin Birkofer and EAP sent home TG United and nearly upset CA Sports
There was an issue with the number of bats Resmondo presented for testing and I Jr's bat got left out. By the time Jr presented his bat, Resmondo had already had 20 pass the tester so his wasn't able to be used. The rules even apply to Don Jr, for those that don't believe so.
Mudcats pitcher Peppy Begley
Caught
Mud Cats SS gets the "softball guy" picture of the week
The women's open division of the Music City Classic had some great talent
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