Thirty-six Valley businesses turned out last month for the 7th Annual Avnet 16″ B2B Softball Desert Classic at Tempe Sports Complex.
And now, thanks to Avnetondemand.com, you can check out all the action of the tournament, which drew a crowd of around 1,000 fans raised money for Spark of Hope, a Valley charity that provides essential solutions and services to children in need.
Champions were crowned in the men’s division and the co-ed division, and Valley radio station XTRA Sports 910, one of the sponsors of the tournament, fielded a team to take on the Big Kahunas–a team comprised of CEOs from Phoenix-area businesses.
Men’s Bracket Championship: Dirk’s Moving vs. Open Lane
Co-ed Bracket Championship: Infusionsoft vs. Avnet Warehouse
Thirty-six Valley businesses fielded teams in the 7th annual Avnet 16″ B2B (business to business) Softball Desert Classic on Saturday at Tempe Sports Complex. According to tournament organizer Al Maag of Avnet, it’s the biggest turnout they’ve had in the event’s history.
In the men’s bracket, Dirk’s Moving defeated Open Lane for their 5th consecutive Desert Classic title, while Infusionsoft took the co-ed honors by upsetting Avnet’s Warehouse team, who were stopped in their quest for a 5th straight title.
The day was also highlighted by a game between the Big Kahunas, a team comprised of CEOs of Valley-based companies like Dial, Emerson, Avnet, SCF AZ, Ensynch, Smith and OneNeck against the squad from radio station XTRA Sports 910. The team from XTRA, led by afternoon talk show hosts Dan Bickley and Mike Jurecki and producer Mike Bauer, finally earned their first-ever Desert Classic victory, beating the Kahunas 7-3.
Approximately 1,000 fans showed up to watch the day’s festivities, and raised money for a great Valley charity, Spark of Hope, in the process. Spark of Hope’s mission is to provide essential solutions and services to children in need.
Maag’s goal is to grow the tournament into a two-day format in the future due to the ever increasing participation by businesses in the Valley.
If you missed the action, the championship games and the Big Kahunas vs. XTRA Sports 910 game will be broadcast on Avnet’s web-based video network, Avnet OnDemand beginning December 7th.
The tournament will be made up of a men’s bracket and a co-ed bracket featuring teams from Valley businesses. It’s a great way to build rapport within a company, network with other companies, and of course, have a lot of fun in the beautiful November weather in the Phoenix area. And once again, the championship games and a matchup of a team comprised of prominent Valley CEOs and the personnel of XTRA Sports 910 will be televised.
The winners of this year’s tournament will get suite tickets to a Phoenix Coyotes game and second place winners will each receive a $25 gift certificate to Don and Charlie’s.
The cost to enter a team in the Avnet 16″ B2B Softball Desert Classic is $250, and all net proceeds will be donated to Spark of Hope, a Valley charity that provides essential solutions and services to children in need.
The deadline for registration has been extended. Teams now have until Wednesday, November 4th at midnight to register.
Please note: All players will be required to sign the wavier before they can play. All waivers/rosters are due by 5pm on Friday, November 6, 2009. Fax to Lisa DeBride at 480-794-9720.
Avnet is hosting the 7th annual 16″ B2B Softball Desert Classic Saturday, November 14, 2009 at the Tempe Sports Complex, and early-bird registration for the event is now open.
Teams that register before October 1st will be charged just $200. After October 1st, the registration fee goes up to $250.
The 16″ B2B Softball Desert Classic consists of men’s and co-ed teams from businesses in the Valley. It’s a great way to network and build team/business morale.
All net proceeds will be given to the Phoenix Sports Commission Foundation in support of their youth sports initiatives.
The 2009 season was a chance at redemption for the Arizona Wildcat softball team (46-17, 13-7 Pacific 10 Conference). After a disappointing Women’s College World Series in June 2008, the Wildcats were looking ahead.
With the return of head coach Mike Candrea, who had taken a year off to coach the USA national team in the Olympics, a change in attitude hit Hillenbrand Stadium.
“It’s going to be an opportunity to try some different things,” Candrea said at the beginning of the season. “With this team, you have to somewhere find the balance between their defensive abilities and their offensive abilities.”
This season, Arizona saw great triumphs in the batters box, and at times, great disappointments in the circle. With no standout ace after the departure of Taryne Mowatt, the Wildcats looked to sophomore pitcher Lindsey Sisk, who was considered the next in a long line of Arizona aces.
However, the Arizona used a pitching combination of junior Sarah Akamine, senior Jennifer Martinez and a third-string Sisk to get them through the season.
“I think I’ve made more pitching changes this year than I’ve ever had to make,” Candrea said.
In what many considered to be an off year for typical Arizona softball, the Wildcats proved resilient. Although they were ranked No. 7 in preseason polls, their lack of a standout ace led many to believe that Arizona softball would not make another WCWS appearance.
“At the beginning of the year, we have always been known for our dominating pitching but there was a lot of talk that maybe that wasn’t the case with us,” first baseman Sam Banister said. “We could have taken it two ways - we could have laid down and died or could have fought, and we chose to fight.”
Arizona’s saving grace came by way of their offense, which broke both team and individual records throughout the season. Catcher Stacie Chambers led the nation with 31 home runs and 96 RBI’s. Along with outfielder Brittany Lastrapes and third baseman Jenae Leles, the junior was named to an All-American team.
As a team, the 2009 Wildcats broke the NCAA single season record for home runs previously held by the 2001 Arizona club -134 long balls left the park this season.
But the bats struggled away from Arizona, especially in the WCWS.
Before the World Series, the Wildcats were forced to hit the road. A sweep of their weekend games in Regional play in Louisville, Kent., gave Arizona the ticket to face the winner of the Palo Alto, Calif., Super Regional, the Stanford Cardinal.
In another unfavorable match-up, they won a three-game series against the Cardinal.
“In September, I didn’t know whether this team was going to pull it all together to get here,” Candrea said during a press conference in Oklahoma City, Okla. “It has been a roller coaster ride for us but a team that has embraced the opportunities.
Although Arizona made another appearance at the WCWS, their fate was a repeat of their 2008 appearance after being swept in two games.
“We just couldn’t quite make the adjustments we needed to offensively,” Candrea said. “(Here) you have to get solid pitching, play good defense and you have to get some timely hits.”
Arizona’s pitching struggled against the Alabama Crimson Tide and allowed 14 runs to cross the plate, aiding for the most lopsided loss in WCWS history. There was no help in the batter’s box for the Wildcats as not a single run crossed the plate for Arizona in either game.
“I came to Arizona because I’m going to win a national championship,” Lastrapes said after the season. “If I have to push myself harder and push my team even harder I will. I’ll do whatever it takes to win.”
Extra Bases
After the conclusion of the 2009 Arizona softball season, pitcher Lindsey Sisk has decided to leave the program. Although it is not known where she will transfer, Sisk will not transfer within the Pac-10 because transferring players must sit out for one year.
The sophomore, who started the first game for the Wildcats in the WCWS against Florida, asked to be released from her scholarship on June 1. Sisk wanted to be able to see playing time at other positions in games that she did not pitch.
Her scholarship could be used to recruit another player in the 2009 class. In November, Arizona signed four players to a letter of intent. Brigette DelPonte, Baillie Kirker, Rebecca Tikey, and the 2008 Gatorade National High School Player of the Year Kenzie Fowler will enroll at UA in the fall.
OKLAHOMA CITY - With the nation’s top offensive team matched against the nation’s top pitching, something had to give. And in Arizona’s first game of the 2009 Women’s College World Series, the dominating Gator pitching overcame the Wildcat hitters.
Arizona’s 21st trip to Oklahoma City began much like their 20th WCWS started - a shutout loss. The Wildcats (46-16) fell by a score of 3-0 at the hands of Florida (61-3) and pitcher Stacey Nelson.
The nation’s leading offense was not enough to match Nelson’s performance in the circle, which held Arizona to just two hits the entire game.
“Every time we made an adjustment, she made an adjustment to our adjustment,” senior first baseman Sam Banister said.
Coming into the game, Arizona’s key was to build off the momentum they acquired by beating Stanford in the Super Regionals - an impressive feat considering they dropped game one in Palo Alto, Calif.
Outfielder Brittany Lastrapes and shortstop K’Lee Arredondo led off the game with back-to-back singles, giving the Wildcats the opportunity to strike early.
However, Nelson borrowed a page from Arizona’s playbook and chose to bear down. The All-American pitcher would not give up another hit.
“I thought we were going to get the big hit that inning but that didn’t work out,” Lastrapes said. “At the time, I had a lot of confidence in our offense and I thought we were going to put something together.”
Nelson’s counterpart, pitcher Lindsey Sisk, rode her impressive performance against Stanford to earn the start. During her last outing, she struck out 14 batters to seal Arizona’s WCWS spot.
Against the Gators, however, her results were not as striking. Florida made use of their powerful offense early, hitting two homers off Sisk (13-5) to account for their scoring.
“We thought that Sisk would be a good match-up,” Candrea said. “At the moment, we thought it was the right thing to do.”
Outfielder Francesca Enea’s two-run jack in the first inning gave the Gators the early lead. The next inning, shortstop Megan Bush hit a solo shot that would knock Sisk out of the game.
Arizona ace Sarah Akamine stepped into to the circle and gave the Gators a taste of their own medicine. The junior gave up just three hits in five innings of work, striking out seven, and issuing no walks.
Even though Akamine (22-7) loosened the Gators’ bite on Arizona’s ERA, the Arizona offense did not step up to the plate. Nelson racked up 12 strikeouts in the game by getting the Arizona hitters to chase pitches out of the zone.
The struggles grew throughout the lineup. Catcher Stacie Chambers was a strikeout victim three times in the game. Four Wildcat players went 0-3, and the Florida ace only issued three walks.
“We just couldn’t quite make the adjustments we needed to offensively,” Candrea said. “I really felt during the game that we were just a couple of base runners from getting something going.”
Though they would not register another hit, the chance still lingered for Arizona as the game winded down. The Wildcats made a number of impressive defensive plays that kept them in the game, including a catch in left field by Lastrapes that landed at the No. 3 spot on Sportscenter’s Top Ten Plays.
Nelson admitted after the game that even with a three run cushion, she did not feel her lead was safe.
“Every pitch was a battle with them,” said Nelson. “I never felt out of trouble, even in the seventh inning with two outs.”
The potential of a breakout offensive inning still lingered for Arizona. With hitters listed one through nine, the Wildcats attempted to become the comeback cats as they had done in previous post-season games, but Nelson and the Florida defense foiled every potential rally.
The Wildcats will hold practice in the afternoon tomorrow before playing Saturday at 1 p.m. CST.
They will face No. 4 Alabama, who also lost their first game on Thursday. In another similarity to last year’s WCWS, it was the Crimson Tide that the Wildcats faced and lost to on the brink of elimination.
The Crush from Chicago’s Southside won the 1st tournament of the year in Tempe, Arizona today over Xtinkt from Yuma, AZ. NCAA Elite 8 games, LPGA and 10 spring training games may have been on most sports fans’ radar screens, but quite a few folks watched 16″ Softball Hall of Fame pitcher Mickey Balestri lead his new version of Crush in 4 straight wins in beautiful weather. The star of the event was Darren Nepoti who had 4 home runs at the right moment in 3 games. Short Center Rich Hennessey also contributed mightily. The team won $450 in the progress cash payout 9 team venue.
Dugan LaRose’s Xtinkt (4-2) played solid all day, beating defending champ Dirks Moving (after that had lost to Crush in the winner’s bracket lead game) to enter the championship game. Dugan has 3 sons who are on the team…they were the # 2 team in 12″ softball in ‘08.
We also learned the 2010 A Nationals will be Yuma.
“We are very proud we put on our 3rd great venue…with two umpires each game, raffles, music, Chicago dogs, fun and laughs, great sportsmanship and awesome defense. The main benefactor were quite a few kids who would get toys that were donated by each team. Arizona is the place to be in March, see ya next year,” stated tourney organizer Al Maag.
There’s a lot of talk about ‘16′ in the sports world, especially locally. With the Arizona men’s team and the ASU women both headed to the Sweet 16 in their respective NCAA Tournaments, you can’t go very long without some sports fan mentioning 16.
There’s another kind of 16 that’s relevant to the Valley sports scene this weekend–16 inch softball.
Popularized in Chicago, 16 inch softball is practically the same game as the slow pitch softball you’re probably accustomed to. There is, however, one big change…the ball. It’s bigger and softer than most softballs, making gloves optional for the game.
The Maag Toy Foundation is holding the 3rd Annual AZ Men’s 16″ Softball Tournament this Saturday, March 28 at the Tempe Sports Complex at 8415 S. Hardy Drive.
Ten teams (4 from Phoenix, 3 from Chicago, 2 from Yuma and 1 from California) will be competing for fun, and cash prizes. The Maag Toy Foundation collects new toys for needy children, so if you’re headed out to watch any of the action this weekend, make sure a bring a toy to help out a great cause.
Registration is still open. Teams may reserve their entry by sending $75.00 to Tournament Sports, P.O. Box 5970, Peoria, AZ 85385-5970. Full registration is $225 per team, and each team gets a three game guarantee.
First and 2nd place teams will receive Sponsorship Trophies, Tournament T-Shirts and Awards.
Pool Play:
Game time shall be 1 hour 15 minutes with no new inning starting after this time. Drop Dead time 1 hour 30 minutes.
Elimination Games:
Game time shall be 1 hour 15 minutes with no new inning starting after this time.Championship games shall be 1 hour 30 minutes with no new inning.
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Thirty-six Valley businesses turned out last month for the 7th Annual Avnet 16″ B2B Softball Desert Classic at Tempe Sports Complex.
Thirty-six Valley businesses fielded teams in the 7th annual Avnet 16″ B2B (business to business) Softball Desert Classic on Saturday at Tempe Sports Complex. According to tournament organizer Al Maag of Avnet, it’s the biggest turnout they’ve had in the event’s history.
Avnet is hosting the 7th annual 16″ B2B Softball Desert Classic Saturday, November 14, 2009 at the Tempe Sports Complex, and early-bird registration for the event is now open.
What better way to spend a warm summer evening in Tempe, than with rec softball?
The Crush from Chicago’s Southside won the 1st tournament of the year in Tempe, Arizona today over Xtinkt from Yuma, AZ. NCAA Elite 8 games, LPGA and 10 spring training games may have been on most sports fans’ radar screens, but quite a few folks watched 16″ Softball Hall of Fame pitcher Mickey Balestri lead his new version of Crush in 4 straight wins in beautiful weather. The star of the event was Darren Nepoti who had 4 home runs at the right moment in 3 games. Short Center Rich Hennessey also contributed mightily. The team won $450 in the progress cash payout 9 team venue.
There’s a lot of talk about ‘16′ in the sports world, especially locally. With the Arizona men’s team and the ASU women both headed to the Sweet 16 in their respective NCAA Tournaments, you can’t go very long without some sports fan mentioning 16.
Saturday, March 14th at Riverfront Park in Cottonwood is the 
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