Homeplate 2010

For the second straight year in a row and the third time in the last four years, the Senior League Softball World Series trophy went to the team representing USA Southwest. On Saturday, Aug. 14, the Northside Suburban Little League, playing out of San Antonio, Texas, defeated the USA East, represented by Haverstraw, NY, 3-1, in the 2010 Senior League Softball championship in Roxana.

The first game of the 2010 Senior League Softball World Series featured the home team, outstanding pitching and a tense contest, with District III (Laurel) topping the East squad (Haverstraw, N.Y.), 1-0 on Sunday, Aug. 8.

A warm summer afternoon in Roxana set the scene for the opening day of the 2010 Senior League Softball World Series. Poise, consistency and drive blended together perfectly for the Southwest, playing out of San Antonio, Texas. They were able to hold on to a 4-3 win over the Southeast’s Olive Branch Little League out of Portsmouth, Va., on Monday.

Despite a strong start by Canada (Ontario, Canada), the West team from Tuscon, Ariz., was able to pull back to even before pulling ahead for good in an 8-3 victory in the series opener for both teams on Sunday, Aug. 8.

Sunday evening was the stage for the first tournament matchup between former World Series contenders, as Central’s South Bend, Ind., team squared off against the KMC American Little League, from Rammstein, Germany, representing the EMEA region.

The Southwest contenders in the World Series, from San Antonio, Texas, felt right at home as temperatures rose into the upper 90s at the Pyle Center for their second game of the tournament. Southwest opened up Day 2 of the Senior League Softball World Series with a steady showing at the plate against Canada, and finished strong with 12-1 win, padding their series record to 2-0.

The East team (Haverstraw, N.Y.) on Aug. 9 shook off the effects of their tense 1-0 loss to District III in their Series opener to jump out to a huge lead against EMEA (Ramstein, Germany) and just kept attacking in a 12-0 rout shortened to five innings because of the tournament’s “mercy rule.”

It did not take long for Team East to get going.

Central proved that their return to the Senior League Softball World Series for a second consecutive year was no fluke, as they powered past the Guam Little League team, representing Asia-Pacific, 12-1, on Monday afternoon in Day 2 of the competition.

Latin America (Maunabo, Puerto Rico) had their day off on Sunday, but didn’t appear rusty at all in their 5-3 win over a game West (Tuscon, Ariz.) team on Monday, Aug. 9.

Two veterans in the tournament – both looking for their first World Series title – took to Layton Field for the early game on Tuesday evening. The District III team from Laurel capitalized on pitches to stretch their lead late in the game and eventually lock up an 8-3 win against EMEA, playing out of Ramstein, Germany.

In one of the more exciting contests since Roxana began hosting the Senior League Softball World Series, the Southeast team (Portsmouth, Va.) was able to hold off a scrappy effort by the Canadian team (Windsor, Ontario) in a tight 6-5 game on Tuesday, Aug. 10.

Southwest trailed for the first time in tournament play on Tuesday evening, as they squared off against Latin America. Fierce infields on both sides paved the way for numerous double plays, but, eventually, Southwest pulled out the come-from-behind win, defeating the ASOFEM Little League team from Puerto Rico, 6-4, and becoming the first team in the series to improve to 3-0.

The East (Haverstraw, N.Y.) team notched their second straight win in the Senior League Softball World Series with a sound 7-0 victory over the squad from Asia-Pacific (Guam) on Tuesday, Aug. 10.