2017 USSSA Major World Series tournament report!
Here is the Major World Series report. It is very long. I added the stats for each player in the team sections.
I realize the stats may need corrected in some instances. Also remember the official scorer scores errors for the major as actual errors and sacrifice fly's are actually sacrifice fly's. This is different then Conference scoring.
Email me if your stats don't match what you have or if you see an error. dw@softballcenter.com
The stats for Steel for example have players that weren't on their roster so the system had to use a player that wasn't in the game. That is being corrected.
2017 USSSA Major World Series!
Kissimmee, Florida
September 20-23
Smash It/Scene's Don Dedonatis tries to get one passed Resmondo's Bryson Baker in the Winner's Final
Link to the SoftballCenter picture album of the Major
2017 Major bracket and results link
2017 Major World Series Day by Day Recap!
The 2017 USSSA Major World Series kicked off just 10 days after hurrican Irma went through Florida and the wet turf on the field got torn up by a concert stage that was removed afterwards. Disney fixed the ESPN Wide World of Sports field with new sod over the majority of the outfield and did an incredible job fixing it. This is the last year for the Major World Series being at Disney as USSSA moves into their new home in Viera, Florida for the next 20 years. This is the 18th year for the Major being at Disney and the history and atmosphere was always top notch. Hopefully USSSA can recreate some of the magic at the new park which is also a great place to play with its artificial turf. The Major this year featured 18 teams seeded off of Nationwide Conference USSSA Points and started on Wednesday morning at 11:00 AM. Below is a day by day recap of the event with details on each winner's bracket game and the actual game videos. Following that I have some last shots of Champions Stadium and some interesting things about the tournament, video clips throughout, followed by Awards and Final Standings, and then wrap up with the Team by Team notes and pictures, and then end with some photos from around the tournament. The crowds were surprisingly the biggest in a couple years probably because there was less rain this year.
I would like to thank USSSA for their hospitality throughout this year and their support, without which Softball Center would not be nearly as big or as informative as it has become. Another great year of slowpitch is in the history books. And thank you to all the sponsors who put together the best collection of teams in Nationwide Conference USSSA history!
Major World Series Day 1 (Wednesday) Recap
Game #2 Recap
Scene/HDLNS in white batting against Klutch the Military Champs in the Series opener
Game #2 – #18 seeded Klutch, the USSSA Military Champions, scored 3 in the top of the 1st inning on 2 errors and a bloop single. In the bottom of the 2nd #15 Scene/HDLNS (OH-AA) took a 4-2 lead on a Jackie Corn homer, the first home run of the tournament. In the bottom of the 3rd Scene/HDLNS grabbed the lead again 5-4 on a Joey Formosa 2 run triple, then to 9-4 on Cory Newmans 2 run homer, and they scored 9 runs total in the inning to lead 11-4. In the bottom of the 4th Scene/HDLNS Ryan Noe hit a 2 run homer and HDLNS led 16-4 after 4 innings. In the top of the 5th Klutch leadoff man Chris Idip hit a 2 run homer and Klutch batted around the lineup scoring 7 runs and closed the gap to 11-16. But Scene/HDLNS answered with 7 of their own in the bottom of the 5th and Corey Boothe hit a 3 run homer in the bottom of the 6th to force a 26-11 run rule.
Scene/HDLNS infielder Brandon Bellamy
Klutch 1st baseman Tre Campbell – I want to give the Military players a thank you! for what they do for us.
Game #1 Recap
TDB in black vs Steel Athletics in white
Game #1 – #16 Steel Athletics (TX-A) got on the board first on a 3 run homer by lefty Kevin Ballard. #17 TDB/TMSports (NC-AA) then grabbed a 4-3 lead in the top of the 2nd on a 2-run homer by Jeff Bloomer. In the 3rd TDB added 4 runs and Steel answered with 6 and Steel led 10-8. In the 7th Terry Baggs for TDB closed the game to 14-10 on a 2 run homer but Steel who scored in every inning held on to win 14-11.
Steel shortstop Pat Burton
Game #8 Recap
Tommie Baugh the pitcher and sponsor for Baugh Ford and power hitter Allen Ponder
Ryan McCrory makes a great play late in the game
Game #8 – #11 Baugh Ford (GA-A) grabbed a 2-0 lead in the top of the 1st on a Gilfillan 2 run homer and would of had more except for a Jon Gastineau diving catch in left field. In the top of the 2nd Baugh went down 1-2-3 and #6 Newbreed (WA-M) got 6 runs to take a 7-2 lead. John Zorich hit a 2-run homer for Baugh in the 3rd and Newbreeds Chente Granados hit a 2 runner in the bottom of the 3rd and Newbreed led 10-6. In the top of the 5th Baugh's Chad Folsom hit a 2-run homer, and Tommie Baugh hit a 2 out bases loaded ground rule double deep to center for a 7-run inning and a 14-12 lead. Tommie who is the pitcher and the sponsor of the team then tipped a hard grounder to the shortstop who turned a double play to keep a 1 run lead. In the 6th Newbreed went down in order again and in the 7th Baugh's Matt McCraw hit a key 2 run double to go up 18-13 and Baugh led by 6 going to the bottom of the 7th. Newbreed down to their last out got a clutch 3 run homer from Victor Cordova and loaded the bases but lost 19-17.
Rolando Rodriguez hits for Newbreed
Tommie Baugh with a 2 run ground rule double for Baugh Ford
Game #5 Recap
OA Apparel's Brad Lunda was just short on this game tying homer vs Astros
Game #5 – #5 Worth Astros (IN-AA) grabbed a nice 6-1 lead in the 1st inning and extended it to 10-1 on a Steve Edwards 2 run homer in the bottom of the 2nd. In the top of the 3rd #12 OA Apparel (IL-AA) started a comeback on a 3 run homer by Canadian Steele Lewis, a 2-run homer by lefty Brad Lunda, and a 2 run double by middle infielder John Sullivan to tie the game at 10-10. In the top of the 4th OA Apparel hit 4 straight solo homers to grab a 14-11 lead. In the top of the 5th Worth Astros right fielder Sid Stephany robbed Nick Mangannaro of a home run and in the bottom of the inning Dal Beggs hit a 2 run single to give Astros a 15-14 lead. In the bottom of the 6th Sid Stephany hit a crowd pleasing 3 run homer to give Astros a 20-17 lead and in the top of the 7th Astros won the game when Stephany robbed Brad Lunda of what would have been a game tying 3 run homer in right field.
Astros right fielder Sid Stephany had not 1 but two game saving home run robs!
Astros with some interesting celebrations
Game #4 Recap
Dan Smith 3rd Baseman John Williams
Game #4 – In the top of the 1st #4 Dan Smith (CA-M) got some great defense by shortstop Freddie Bynum and 3rd baseman John Williams to hold down #13 Bay Area Legends (CA-A). Then in the bottom of the 2nd Dan Smith's Donnie Hammonds hit a 3 run homer to extend their lead to 9-1. In the top of the 3rd Bay Area's Dameon Smith hit a 2 run double and Jeff Renno a 2 run triple to close the lead to 5-9. In the bottom of the 5th Dan Smith pitcher LC Watson hit a 3 run double and Dan Smith went on to an easy 16-12 lead although Bay Area never gave up in this one.
Bay Area Legends Joel Gonzalez getting an at bat at the Major!
Game #10 Recap
Joey Formosa of Scene/HDLNS takes on Resmondo
Game #10 – Scene/HDLNS (OH-AA) the #15 seed got things started with an inside the park 2 run homer by big Joey Formosa. In the bottom of the 1st #2 Resmondo's (FL-M) Kyle Pearson hit one off the scoreboard for a solo, and they followed that up with solo's by Greg Connell, Brian Wegman, Travis Clark, and a 3 run homer by Scott Kirby. Wegman added a 3 run homer in the bottom of the 2nd and Resmondo went up 10-2. Scene/HDLNS got 4 runs in the top of the 3rd but Resmondo's Connell and Clark homered again in the bottom of the 3rd and Resmondo went on to win 21-9.
Resmondo's Brett Helmer hits one over the "Helmer wall"
Resmondo's Brian Wegman and Travis Clark
Game #9 Recap
Smash It Scene – 3B Cory Briggs, SS Don Dedonatis, MI Luis Reyna, Pitcher Andy Purcell
Game #9 – Steel playing their second game of the day went down 6-0 against SmashIt/Scene when Andrew Collins and Brandon Dillon hit 2 run homer's. Then Collins gunned down Steel runner Pat Burton trying to stretch a single into a double in the 3rd inning. SmashIt/Scene's Andy Purcell hit a 2 run homer in the 4th and Lee Payne a 3 runner in the 4th to go up 14-4. Steel responded when Matt Vasquez the recent 'A' World MVP hit a 2 run homer, but Ryan Harvey hit one 460 feet for SmashIt/Scene in the bottom of the 6th, followed by a Nic Santana homer, and a Lee Payne inside the park grand slamd to go up 22-9 and Ryan Harvey ended the game by the run rule with another 2 run homer.
Steel center fielder Hulbert almost robbed Lee Payne
Payne ended up with an inside the park grand slam
Game #7 Recap
Bad Draw in black takes on SIS/Thunder
Game #7 – Bad Draw (NC-A) the #13 seed took on SIS/Thunder in the nightcap Wednesday. Bad Draw's CJ Jacinto and big William Maloney homered in the top of the 1st to go up 2-0. SIS/Thunder's Kevin Kennington and Josh Riley each hit 2 run homers in the bottom of the inning to g up 4-2. In the 2nd Bad Draw who scored in every inning in the game scored 4 and SIS/Thunder could only manage a 2 run homer by Josh Riley and were down 8-6. In the 3rd Bad Draw got 4 more playng "small ball" and SIS/Thunder got a Jeremy Yates 3 run homer. In the bottom of the 5th Neil Haglunds 2 run homer over the "Helmer Wall" in right center gave SIS/Thunder a 17-14 lead. But the upset minded Bad Draw team got a 2 run single from Jacinto and held Thunder scoreless in the bottom of the 6th. In the 7th Josh Brown got a clutch 2 run single to go up 19-18 and somehow Bad Draw held Thunder scoreless in the bottom of the 7th even after a lead off double by Brian McBryde and Bad Draw had the upset of the tournament!
SIS/Thunder's Neil Haglund hits the longest homer of Wednesday
Major World Series Day 2 Recap
Day 2 Video Clips which include some of the HR Derby
Game #6 Recap
Racks rookie of the year Jordan Spaulding
Game #6 – #7 Racks/Sonny's grabbed a 3-2 lead on a bases loaded error in the bottom of the 2nd against Xtreme who is the recent 'AA' World Champs. In the bottom of the 3rd Argen Dodds for Racks became the first player in the tournament to clear the giant scoreboard at Champions Stadium with a 2 run homer to give them a 5-2 lead. In the bottom of the 3rd Racks went off as Brett Rettenmeier got things started with a 3 run homer, followed by solos from Jordan Spaulding, Argen Dodds, Stuart Snell, and Keith Laski. Then Rettenmeier homered again and Racks had a 16 run inning and a 21-3 lead and won easily 21-6.
Game #3 Recap
Ben Dunn and Nightmare took down Precision
Game #3 – Precision and Nightmare two of the top 'AA' teams in the country squared off. Nightmare's Charlie Hinojosa and Precision's Kyle Cowart traded 2 run homer's in the early innings. Then Nightmare broke out in the bottom of the 2nd with 9 runs on homer's by Steve Zemanek and Hinojosa, and a 2 run triple by Mike Williams. Then Williams flashed some leather in left field with a full out diving catch and they followed that up with homer's by Billy Maggard and a third homer by Hinojosa to beat Precision 17-10.
Game #19 Recap
Bad Draw scored 27 runs on 1 homer
Game #19 – The quarterfinals kicked off in the early afternoon Thursday with two 'A' teams who had upset their Major opponents in the first round. Bad Draw used some "small ball" to grab a 4-1 lead in the 2nd. Then in the bottom of the 3rd played some great defense to hold Baugh Ford to 2 runs. In the top of the 5th Bad Draw's CJ Jacinto hit an RBI triple and Tim Mickey a 2 RBI double as they scored 6 runs and led 11-4. Bad Draw 2nd baseman Dylan Smith turned a nice double play in the 5th and Bad Draw won 21-8 as Jess Maloney hit a 2 run homer in the 6th, and they scored 7 insurance runs in the top of the 7th.
Game #18 Recap
Worth Astros Rob Roop hits against Dan Smith in the quarterfinals
Game #18 – 'AA' team Astros took a shot at Major team Dan Smith in a late afternoon quarterfinal game. Astros got a 2 run single from Mike Ortiz and a diving stop by their 1st baseman Dal Beggs, but trailed 5-3 after a Chad Durick homer. In the top of the 2nd Dan Smith shortstop Freddie Bynum made an incredible diving catch but a couple of errors gave Astros a 9-5 lead. In the bottom of the 3rd Dan Smith outfielder Westy Guill tied the game at 9-9 on a triple, and Colby Hughes gave them a 13-9 lead on a 2 run double. In the 4th Dan Smith turned a 5-4-3 doubleplay and then in the bottom of the 6th pinch hitter Chris Greinert hit a 400 foot line drive 3-run homer that hit the scoreboard and Dan Smith won 20-15.
Greinert hits a 400 foot seed
Game #20 Recap
Resmondo's Bryson Baker hits against Racks
Game #20 – Two Major teams met for the first time in the quarterfinals early Thursday evening. Racks got off to a nice 6-0 lead with no outs but then grounded into a doubleplay to kill the rally. In the bottom of the first the powerful Resmondo squad used homers by Kyle Pearson and Brett Helmer to go up 8-6. In the bottom of the 3rd Resmondo's Kevin Bazat hit a 2 run triple and Pearson a 2 run double to go up 14-9. Racks closed the gap to 2 runs in the top of the 4th on a moon shot homer by Dan Kirkwood and a Brett Rettenmeier 2 out 2 run single. In the bottom of the 4th and 6th though Resmondo unleashed the guns as Pearson and Helmer homered again and the entire team homered (11 HR for the game) their way to a 36-25 win in a game where Racks scored every inning and never gave up.
Pregame meetings
Helmer goes Yatzee!
Game #20 Recap
Game #20 – In the nightcap before the HR Derby began Nightmare (A) took on Smash It/Scene the #1 team in the nation. The game was filled with great defensive plays by both teams. Nightmare was shut down the entire game by Smash It/Scene and scored just 2 runs in total but Nightmare got a nice catch on the fence by right fielder Kevin Bryant in the 2nd, a diving catch from left fielder Mike Williams in the 3rd, and Williams robbed Andy Purcell of a homer on the fence in the 4th to make the game go 6 innings. For Smash It/Scene they got a base hit from Dennis Rulli in the 2nd inning which was the 300th hit of his illustrious world series career and he received a well earned ovation from the crowd of 3,000. Smash It/Scene also had some defense of their own as shortstop Don Dedonatis Jr. had the best diving play of the tournament that was actually hit passed him towards the 3rd base side when he snared it. And Luis Reyna made an incredible play on a hard grounder up the middle, and then with the stick Reyna hit a 3 run homer to end the game with a 17-2 run rule win.
SmashIt/Scene infielder Dennis Rulli just before he collected his 300th hit of his World Series career
Nightmare's Mike Williams robs a homer and SmashIt's Don Dedonatis with a great diving catch!
Resmondo's Kyle Pearson won the 35 man Home Run Derby on his last swint.
Major World Series Home Run Derby report here
Thursday Loser's Bracket Games
2017 Major World Series Day 3 Recap
2017 USSSA Major World Series Bracket Link
2017 Major World Series pictures link
Game #25 Recap
Smash It Sports/Scene's Andrew Collins hit 2 big homer's against Dan Smith
Game #25 – The first winner's bracket semifinal Friday night was #1 Smash It/Scene and #4 Dan Smith. The Smith team came out of the gate focused and line drive hitting as they scored 5 runs without a homer in the top of the 1st. In the bottom half of the inning Dan Smith used some nice plays by middle infielder Chad Durick and 3rd Baseman John Williams to hold Smash It/Scene to 1 run. In the top of the 2nd Dedonatis at shortstop for Smash It/Scene threw out Colby Hughes at the plate on a heads up fielder's choice and Dan Smith's Brian Zirkle bounced one off of pitcher Andy Purcell which many thought might start a middle war. Dan Smith scored 5 more in the inning without a homer and led 10-1 as they held Smash It/Scene scoreless In the top of the 3rd Dan Smith pitcher LC Watson while running to 2nd base pulled a hamstring and had to come out of the game. At that point the momentum shifted and it was all Smash It/Scene for the remainder of the game. They got a 2 run double by Cory Briggs, a 3 run homer by Andrew Collins, a bases loaded walk, a Purcell 2 run single, another Collins homer, a Branch 2 run double, and a Brandon Dillon grand slam to go up 27-15 at the end of 6 innings. In the top of the 7th Dan Smiths dormant offense briefly came back to life as they scored 9 runs but came up short in the loss 24-27.
Dan Smith pitcher LC Watson pulled a hamstring and it was all down hill for them the rest of the game
Game #26 Recap
Bad Draw getting ready to take on Resmondo
Game #26 – #14 seeded Bad Draw was still alive in the winner's bracket after they beat SIS/Thunder on Wednesday and Baugh Ford on Thursday. They took on #2 Resmondo in the last game on Friday night. In the top of the 1st Bad Draw's big first baseman Jess Maloney hit a 2 run homer but Resmondo who was in home run mode themselves got 3 run homer's from Travis Clark and Buddy Wolf to go up 8-2. In the 2nd Bad Draw answered with a 2 run homer by Forbes and Resmondo's Pearson hit a 2 run homer to make it 12-5. In the 3rd it was more of the long ball as Bad Draw's Brent Powers hit a 2 run homer and Resmondo left fielder Brian Wegman went up and over the fence to rob Forbes. In the bottom of the 3rd Resmondo took control of the game with a 3 run homer by Bryson Baker, a 2 run shot by Wegman and they went up 21-8 and finished the game by the run rule on a solo by Bubba Mack and a 2 run shot by BJ Fulk in the bottom of the 5th.
Friday's Loser Bracket Games
Major World Series Day 4 Recap
Game #30 Recap
Racks bats against Dan Smith to start the Saturday action
Game #30 – The final day of the Major was Saturday where play started with the 5th place loser's bracket game at 9 AM between Racks and Dan Smith. Racks got off to a 4-0 lead in the top of the 4th and was feeling pretty good, but the ball was flying in the early morning and Dan Smith got a 3 run homer from John Williams and a 3 run homer from Chris Greinert to go up 12-4 after one inning. In the second inning Racks Stuart Snell hit a 2 run shot but Dan Smith's Steven Lloyd had a 2 run single and Chad Durick a 2 run homer to stretch the lead to 10 runs. In the bottom of the 5th Dan Smith won the game by the run rule 24-9 after Durick hit a 3 run double and Chris Greinert a walk off single.
Game #29 Recap
Scene/HDLNS 3rd baseman Jackie Corn was 4-5 against Bad Draw
Game #29 – The 11 AM game to make the final 4 was between 'AA' team Scene/HDLNS and 'A' team Bad Draw. The #15 and #14 seeded teams in the tournament! Bad Draw struck first with a CJ Jacinto 2 run homer and Scene/HDLNS answered with a 2 run homer by Ryan Noe in the top of the 2nd. Bad Draw would take a 7-2 lead in the bottom of the 3rd inning on a Tyler Marshburn 2 out RBI double and a David Forbes 2 run single. The inning was cut short by a nice catch by Scene/HDLNS right fielder Ryan Disbennet. In the top of the 4th Scene/HDLNS grabbed control of the game with an incredible 13 run outburst as Disbennet hit a 2 run triple and they went up 15-7. Bad Draw put up a zero in the 4th and Scene/HDLNS cruised the rest of the way to a 22-9 victory!
Bad Draws Brent Powers
Game #31 Recap
Co-Defensive players of the year Luis Reyna pitches to Don Dedonatis for the 10-6-3 doubleplay with the bases loaded
Ryan Harvey was 4-5 with 2 homer's
Game #31 – The much anticipated heavyweight battle between the #1 team in the country SmashIt/Scene and #2 Resmondo began at 1 PM Saturday afternoon in nice but rain threatening weather with a slight wind blowing out to the right field corner of Champions Stadium with its 335-375-400-375-317 (according to google earth) dimensions. Resmondo failed to score in the top of the 1st and top of the 2nd innings eventhough in the 1st SmashIt/Scene pitcher Andy Purcell walked the bases loaded… SmashIt/Scene got on the board in those first two innings on solo homer's by Ryan Harvey and Andrew Collins and RBI hits by Don Dedonatis and Jason Branch and led 4-0. In the 3rd inning Resmondo got going and grabbed an 8-4 lead as Bryson Baker, Greg Connell, Travis Clark, and Buddy Wolf all homered. SmashIt/Scene right fielder Andrew Collins made a nice catch in right field to end the inning. In the bottom of the 3rd SmashIt/Scene answered Resmondo's 8 run top with 11 runs of their own as Nic Santana tripled, Cory Briggs hit a 2 out RBI single to tie the game, and Jason Branch, Andy Purcell, Collins, and Brandon Dillon all had 2 out hits to give them a 15-8 lead. In the top of the 4th inning Resmondo's Bubba Mack hit a 2 out 2 run single and they pulled to within 2 runs but in the bottom of the inning Ryan Harvey hit a 3 run homer and Collins and Santana homered to give SmashIt/Scene a 23-13 lead as SmashIt/Scene knocked out pitcher Travis Clark who was replaced by Dan Sanchez.
The two heavyweights battled through some rain and Resmondo's Travis Clark hit a 2 run single in the top of the 5th to pull them to within 5 runs (18-23) and Resmondo blanked SmashIt/Scene in the bottom of the 5th. Sponsor Travis Resmondo was ejected for some chirping he was doing from the Resmondo bench. In the top of the 6th SmashIt/Scene got Resmondo to hit into a 10-6-3 doubleplay with the bases loaded and Resmondo again held SmashIt/Scene to zero runs in the bottom of the 6th as relief pitcher Dan Sanchez got some big outs for his second scoreless inning. In the top of the 7th needing 3 runs to tie, Resmondo just could not string the hits together as SmashIt/Scene right fielder Andrew Collins made an incredible running catch in towards the foul line then trapped a hard line drive single and somehow threw the ball to the cut off who got the runner at 2nd base on a force out.
Resmondo had squandered multiple opportunities and left a small village on the bases and SmashIt/Scene advanced undefeated to the championship game.
Resmondo 3rd baseman Bryson Baker tries to throw out Dedonatis
Collins robs a homer
Game #32 Recap
Dan Smith center fielder Brian Zirkle hits one past Faron Miller for a base hit
Game #32 – After the winner's final was the loser's bracket semifinal between Dan Smith and Scene/HDLNS. Scene/HDLNS got on the board with 4 runs in the top of the 1st inning on a Adam Kaminski bases loaded walk and a Jackie Corn 2 out single made it 4-0. The inning ended on a great diving catch by Dan Smith left fielder Colby Hughes. In the bottom of the 1st Dan Smith scored 11 runs on a Kyle Pearson bases loaded walk, a Brian Zirkle 2 run single, a Chad Durick 2 run double, and a Chris Greinert 2 out 2 run homer. In the top of the 2nd Scene/HDLNS got homer's from Cory Boothe and Joey Formosa but trailed 15-9 after 2 innnings. In the bottom of the 3rd Scene/HDLNS left fielder Evan Gallmeier robbed a home run and in the top of the 4th got a 2 run homer from Jackie Corn. But it was all Dan Smith the rest of the way as they won by the run rule 27-12 getting homer's from Greinert and Williams in the 4th, and big hits from Hammonds, Durick, and Matusik in the 5th..
Game #33 Recap
Resmondo's Kevin Bazat hit 4 homer's against Dan Smith
Game #33 – The loser's bracket finals began early Saturday evening between Dan Smith and Resmondo. In all of the games the home team was decided by who was the higher seed based on Nationwide Conference USSSA points. Dan Smith's Chris Greinert and Kyle Pearson got the scoring started with home runs in the top of the 1st and Resmondo answered with a barrage of homer's in the bottom of the 1st by Bryson Baker, (their) Kyle Pearson, Buddy Wolf, Scott Kirby, Mike Umschied, and Kevin Bazat! In the 1st inning Resmondo had already hit more homer's (6) than they had the entire 7 inning of the winner's bracket finals (4)… In the second Greinert hit a 2 run single for Dan Smith but Resmondo piled on again in the bottom of the 2nd inning with doubles by Mack and Kirby, a 2 run homer by Bazat, back to back solo's by Pearson and Connell, and a final 2 run homer by Scott Kirby which made it 24-9 at the end of 2 innings. In the 3rd Dan Smith scored on a Brian Zirkle 2 run homer and then Resmondo's Travis Clark hit a 2 run homer to match. In the 4th Dan Smith's Chris Greinert hit a 2 run homer and Resmondo answered with a Bazat 3 run homer and a Kyle Pearson over the scoreboard bomb and Resmondo led 30-14 after 4 innings and began to put in substitutes in order to rest their starters. In the 5th Dan Sanchez made a great line drive stab up the middle but Dan Smith closed the gab to 10 runs on an RBI double to keep the game alive by Chris Greinert, and a 3 run homer by Westy Guill. Brian Wegman in left field ended the inning with an incredible running catch towards the foul wall. In the 6th inning Dan Smith's Chris Greinert became the 3rd player of the tournament to hit one over the giant 4/5 story high scoreboard in center field and they got a 2 run homer from their Kyle Pearson in the 7th but lost 27-37 to Resmondo. Dan Smith catcher Chris Greinert had 5 hits, 3 HR, and 10 RBI in the game.
Dan Smith shortstop Chad Durick collected 5 hits.
Game #34 Recap
Collins hits a game tying 3 run homer in the bottom of the 7th
Mike Umschied tries to rob Andrew Collins game tying homer in center field
Game #34 – The much awaited Championship game between Smash It/Scene and Resmondo began Saturday night with Resmondo needing to win two games in a row. In the top of the 1st Resmondo's Kyle Pearson hit a 2 run homer and Smash It/Scene's Ryan Harvey answered with a 3 run bomb to put Smash It/Scene up 4-2 after 1 inning. In the 2nd inning Resmondo's Scott Kirby hit a 2 run homer and they blanked Smash It/Scene and went up 6-4. In the 3rd Resmondo put up a zero and Smash It/Scene went down in order 1-2-3 as Kyle Pearson at 1st base and Travis Clark at pitcher made nice plays on hard shots. It looked like Smash It/Scene who's pitcher Andy Purcell had been drilled by Wegman in the 2nd inning was trying to get payback as they hit two hard shots back at Clark who made plays on both. With the middle war over Resmondo put up another zero in the top of the 4th inning and in the bottom of the 4th Smash It/Scene got 2 run homer's from Cory Briggs and Andy Purcell and they led 10-6. In the top of the 5th Resmondo marked with solo homer's by Wegman and Clark but an RBI triple by Don Dedonatis and another homer by Purcell gave Smash It/Scene a 14-8 lead. In the 6th Resmondo got a solo from Kirby, a huge pinch hit 2 run homer from BJ Fulk, and solo's from Baker and Pearson to close the lead to 13-14. Remember the Major World Series is unlimited homer's so solo's are not a bad thing as homer's were hard to come by on the big fields. In the bottom of the 6th Resmondo center fielder Mike Umschied made a great catch on a long dead run straight back over his head at the 390 mark but Smash It/Scene managed to score 4 on homer's by Brandon Dillon and a line shot home run down the right field line by Don Dedonatis that energized his entire team!
In the 7th Resmondo needed 5 to extend the game and got solo homer's from Buddy Wolf and Bubba Mack, then a hustle slide by Scott Kirby into first base on a high throw, and clutch RBI singles by Baker, Pearson, and Connell to close the gap to 17-18. Then with the bases loaded Brian Wegman hit a ball high and deep to right field as the collective Resmondo fans and teammates held their breath right fielder Andrew Collins moved to the fence to rob it but it was just a little to far and Wegs had him self a go ahead GRAND SLAM! The crowd cheered and Resmondo grabbed the momentum. But they failed to score anymore runs and went to the bottom of the 7th with a 21-18 lead. In the bottom of the 7th Resmondo got an out to start off, then Andy Purcell doubled, Ryan Harvey walked, and Andrew Collins hit a ball similar to Wegman's only to straight away center field. Again the crowd held its collective breath as center fielder Mike Umschied lept to rob the home run but it went out by a few feet over the wall around the 400 foot mark and Smash It/Scene had tied the game at 21-21 to another cheer from the crowd. So with 1 out in the bottom of the 7th and the game tied, Resmondo decided to intentionally walk Nic Santana, Luis Reyna laced a line drive single to right center sending Santana to 3rd, and Brandon Dillon was walked to load the bases. Then Dennis Rulli stepped in and ended the game with a walk off walk on 3 pitches and Smash It Sports/Scene had won the Major World Series 22-21!
Scott Kirby beats the tag to keep Resmondo alive
Brian Wegman gives Resmondo the lead with a backside grand slam to right field in the top of the 7th
Luis Reyna of Smash It Sports/Scene hits a single to right to put Santana into scoring position to win the game
Two of the Champion sponsors Tim Franks of Tarheel Drilling and Blasting and Rick Schiffhaur of Smash It Sports
Team Breakdown:
18 Teams Overall
Nationwide Conference USSSA Teams
6 Major Teams
7 'AA' Teams
5 'A' Teams
Teams introduced and the playing of the National Anthem
SmashIt/Scene won their last 3 games by 3 runs or less…
Rain delayed the tournament only once
The crowd for the HR Derby was the biggest in years
One last view of the ESPN Wide World of Sports expansive outfield, Scoreboard, Flags, and the "Helmer Wall"
So many fun things to hit the ball over!
They play 4 games back on Field #5
USSSA Director Stro cuts all of the bats open for the final 3 teams on the field.
Oldscout pollers were correct
Long Bombers of the Week
HR Derby finalists
1st Place Kyle Pearson, 2nd place Jeremy Yates, and Brandon Dillon and Neil Haglund tied for 3rd
Racks Argen Dodds was first to hit it over the giant scoreboard in center field
Players that hit a ball over the scoreboard during game play:
Argen Dodds 1
Kyle Pearson 1
Chris Greinert 1
Ryan Harvey 1
Players that hit a ball over the scoreboard during the HR Derby:
Steele Lewis 4
Kyle Pearson 4
Ryan Harvey 3
Andrew Collins 2
Charlie Hinojosa 1
Travis Clark 1
Major World Series Awards and Final Standings
Major All Tournament Team
Most Home Runs – Kyle Pearson (12) Resmondo
MVP Andrew Collins – Smash It/Scene
Defensive MVP Don Dedonatis – Smash It/Scene
Offensive MVP – Kyle Pearson – Resmondo
Team by team notes brought to you by:
1st Place Smash It/Scene/TDB/Miken/Worth/DirtySportsWear
Conf Major from NY 5-0 Record
69-7 on the year which is the 2nd best record for a Nationwide Conference team of all time. They all played their roles. Most everyone had a clutch hit or multiple clutch hits. The defense which was the best in the league all year long was best again at the Major. Collins and Harvey hit half of their teams home runs and both are right handed when many right handers struggled all week to hit them out. The pitching dominated opponents late in games and having that #1 seed which was earned by winning the Conference points came in handy more than once. Congratulations again to the sponsorship group, the managers, and the players of one of the best teams of all time!
Co-Conference Defensive MVP's MI Luis Reyna and SS Don Dedonatis, and 3B Cory Briggs anchor the best infield in the game
Andy Purcell 5-5 in the championship game with 2 home runs
Dennis Rulli added to his all time USSSA World Series hit total as he surpassed 300 hits
Ryan Harvey hit 7 Home Runs
2nd Place Resmondo/O.A.Apparel/H.Auto/SPTank/RDD/Easton
Conf Major from FL 4-2 Record
Resmondo put all of their proverbial "eggs" in one basket which was winning the Major and saving what was a disapointing season overall. They came so close and even played good enough defense to win, but the offense wasn't crisp and they never had that big double figure inning against SmashIt/Scene that they needed for the knockout blow. Some of the moves made in the winner's final where nobody pinch hit might be questioned by us Monday morning quarterbacks for weeks to come, but lets be thankful someone challenged SmashIt/Scene and gave us some good drama at the end of those two big games.
Finally some emotion out of this Resmondo team after Wegman gave them the lead on a grand slam in the 7th
BJ Fulk hits a clutch 2 run pinch hit homer in the championship
Pitcher Travis Clark and shortstop Kevin Bazat
Relief pitcher Dan Sanchez held down SmashIt/Scene for 2 1/3 innings in the winner's final
3rd Place Dan Smith/Menosse
Conf Major from CA 4-2 Record
Dan Smith had SmashIt/Scene on the ropes in the semifinals up big and rolling on offense and defense. Then pitcher LC Watson pulled his hamstring running the bases and it was all down hill for that game but they never gave up and only lost by 3 runs. In the loser's bracket they clawed their way back but lost a slugfest with Resmondo in the loser's final.
Saturday Chad Durick ended up at shortstop and Tom Bloom at pitcher Saturday after injuries to Bynum and Watson
Chris Greinert led the team in hits, homer's, and RBI
4th Place The Scene/HDLNS/BHR/Easton
Conf 'AA' from OH 6-2 Record
The Scene/HDLNS was the #15 seed after dropping 3 spots by not attending the Conference Championships so they had to play one of the "play in" games. They won against Klutch the military team and then lost to Resmondo as expected 21-9. In the loser's bracket they began the most unlikely of runs as they scored 18 or more runs in 5 straight games and beat TDB, Xtreme, Nightmare, major team SIS/Thunder, and then Bad Draw all in 7 inning games before losing to Dan Smith to finish 4th!
Trending Up! 🙂
Boothe and Formosa
Scene/HDLNS middle man Rocky Staton makes a play
Shortstop Ryan Noe, Pitcher Roger Drake, and 2B Brandon Bellamy
Tied 5th Place Racks/Sonny's/Athlon/Easton/Cutter
Conf Major from WY 3-2 Record
Racks played without sponsor/manager Sonny Pilcher and did what they have been doing all year, beating the AA and A teams and losing to the Major teams. A talented group that never was able to unlock the mystery to beating the Major teams but a good solid effort nevertheless. In their quarterfinal game against Resmondo they scored 24 runs and played well enough to beat a Major team but Resmondo had their best offensive game of the tournament and sent them to the loser's bracket 36-24. Snell and Dodds were leading the way offensively, Kirkwood was hitting moonshot homer's, and McClanahan had a nice weekend hitting eventhough he had to pitch as they missed Chad Loudon and Sammy Christensen. Also Jordan Spaulding had 10 extra base hits.
Tied 5th Place Bad Draw/B&B/Broughton/BAF/Worth
Conf 'A' from NC 2-2 Record
Bad Draw had the offense going and as the #14 seed shocked the SIS/Thunder team by beating them by a run, then knocked off fellow 'A' team to make the final 4! They lost to Resmondo and Scene/HDLNS but a great finish for this team that had struggled of late. It was great to see them play so many games on the stadium field where many of their players got the spotlight for 4 games.
Evan Jarman led off and played center field
Other top finishing Conference teams
Tied 7th Place – SIS/Thunder/Miken/Worth/Louisville
Conf Major from NY 2-2 Record
Thunder lost their opener to #14 Bad Draw by 1 in the bottom of the 7th then came from a 20+ run deficit to beat Newbreed back on field #5 39-32. Then they went back into the stadium and sent home Worth Astros 16-10 before Scene/HDLNS outplayed them 20-12. One of the favorites to challenge SmashIt/Scene never got the chance after falling early.
Tied 7th Place – Precision/3rd Street/GBrand/Easton
Conf 'AA' from IL 2-2 Record
Precision lost their opener 17-10 to Nightmare and then beat Klutch and Baugh Ford by a combined score of 40-5, before Racks sent them home 27-16.
Tied 9th Place – Nightmare/Miken
Conf 'AA' from MO 1-2 Record
Nightmare got some revenge from the 'AA' on Precision in their opener by beating them 17-10. Then they only scored 2 against SmashIt/Scene while playing great defense. And The Scene/HDLNS sent them packing 26-17. But then HDLNS sent a lot of teams packing. Mike Williams in left field made a highlite reel full of spectacular plays.
Tied 9th Place – Bay Area Legends/Miken
Conf 'A' from CA 1-2 Record
Only lost to Dan Smith 16-12 in the opener, never giving up. Then had a nice 28-21 win against OA Apparel getting their first Major World Series victory. Then lost a real fun game Friday 30-26 to Racks. All of their games are worth watching on the archived videos. A fun team to watch seemed to have a fun year. How about Carlsen backing up his batting title with a .846 at the show! And Renno led all hitters at .923
Jeffrey Renno led the tournament in hitting at .923
Tied 9th Place – Worth Astros/K&G/Klutch
Conf 'AA' from IN 1-2 Record
Astros were banged up and missing players. They just did get past OA in their opener by 3 runs and played 7 innings against Dan Smith and SIS/Thunder but lost by a combined 11 runs. They just didn't have the power horses for the stadium hitting just 4 HR in 3 games.
Tied 9th Place – Baugh Ford/Adiktiv/Worth/Miken
Conf 'A' from GA 1-2 Record
Baugh Ford upset Newbreed 19-18 and then lost to fellow 'A' team Bad Draw in the quarterfinals 21-8. Could have been a golden opportunity to play on Saturday. They did get 4 HR from Jason Gilfillan.
Tied 13th Place – Klutch/Bull Dawg Trucking/Semper
from USA 1-2 Record
Klutch became the 2nd military team to win a game at the Major when they beat Steel 18-14. The first to ever win one was 4 The Fallen a couple of years back.
Tied 13th Place – Xtreme/Miken/ASP/Athlon
Conf 'AA' from MN 0-2 Record
Xtreme played the "just happy to be here" roll after winning 'AA' Worlds the weekend before. They went 0-2 and only scored 5 runs Thursday morning against Racks?
Tied 13th Place – OA Apparel/Broughton/KBI/Easton
Conf 'AA' from IL 0-2 Record
OA dropped two straight by a combined score of 10 runs. This team never found that killer instinct. Steele Lewis pulled a muscle and that didn't help things.
Sponsor Jon Kilburn (Vivid #13 from the board) batted 1000 at the Major!
Tied 13th Place – Newbreed/GTS/Demarini
Conf Major from WA 0-2 Record
Newbreed made some intersting offensive and defensive managerial moves and none of them worked in their opening round loss to Baugh Ford. Then they blew a 20+ run lead against SIS/Thunder in the loser's bracket to go 0-2.
Tied 17th Place – Steel Sports/PowerhouseSportz/Miken
Conf 'A' from TX 0-2 Record
Steel had a nice opening round win over TDB 14-11 then lost two straight including a game to the military team Klutch. Steel was missing Malay, Schrage, Cook, Cridland, and Beal from their 'A' World Championship team.
Will add stats when they get corrected
Tied 17th Place – TDB/TMSports/MidWestWhiteTailAdv/Miken
Conf 'AA' from NC 0-2 Record
Lost to Steel and Scene/HDLNS in close games.
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Some more pictures for you:
Champions Stadium Pano
Managers Brett Helmer and Jason Kendrick (Legends of the game) about to go head to head for all the marbles
Stats and announcers. These guys have been doing this for many years!
Paul Brown, Jeff Brown, Kevin Croft, Ken Franzen
Tournament directors Elliot Clark and Stro Kennnison keep things running smooth
There were 18 Conference umpires total
The Kirby's with Braun Stroman
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