tournament ASA Las Vegas Pound

SOUthern
LAS VEGAS, NV - Coach Pino DelGado came a distance, bringing his Aftershock D team from Riverside, California to play in the ASA Pound for Pound tournament - and play they did. Exploding from every seam is more like it. Already their third tournament for the newly formed team this year, comprised from two top E division teams that played last year, Aftershock went on to win the tournament 4-0, playing the second-place team, Infamous/Crowbar (4-2) from Las Vegas, twice, in the first round and in the final championship game, where they won 30-15. We hit very well and had good fielding. Everybody did well. It was a team victory, says coach DelGado. Thats an understatement- they outscored their opponents by a 117 to 36 run differential. Aftershock is planning to play two to three tournaments per month this year, and has its sights set on qualifying for the Bang for Bucks tournament, a event they won last year in the E division, taking home $2,500 for their efforts. The team also wants to compete in more ASA tournaments at Big League Dreams, and finally go to the nationals as well. We want to go all the way, says coach DelGado. But, keep the Infamous/Crowbar team from Las Vegas prominent on your softball radar. Theyre a young, versatile team with depth. The team, formed from friends, was playing at a disadvantage: Not only was this their first softball tournament, it also marked the first time all their players played together as a team. We gel together well, have a good time,

Story and photos by Mike Stotts

for Pound Tournament

and have a strong offense, says Infamous/Crowbar coach Chris Ortiz. We just need to get used to each others tendencies and improve our defense. Apparently that strategy is paying off big time. The week following the Pound for Pound tournament, Infamous/Crowbar won the E division of the Jason Pasco Memorial Tournament in Henderson. Coach Ortiz says his team is planning to compete in tourna- Joe Monteco of Las Vegas Infamous/Crowbar team ments two to three connects for a blistering times each month single against Mac Kids, a through September team comprised of players or October, with the throughout Canada who ultimate objective to were playing for childrens compete in the E charities. Infamous/Crowbar division of the USSSA won 22-15. World Tournament in Gilbert, Arizona in September. ished 4-0 tournament record. It was their The third-place team, Surefire from Las first victory in a Coed division in four years. Vegas, also really played their hearts out Great players and great attitudes, conin the Mens D division, mixing hard-hitting tributed to the win, says Falcons coach and with a potent defense, and finishing the pitcher Jimmy Hernandez, who has been tournament with a respectable 5-2 record. at the helm since the team formed in 2007, Over in the Coed division, hard work and playing one to two tournaments a month. team dedication from the Falcons from Las Josh Ford, centerfielder for the Falcons, Vegas paid off, and ultimately proved the perhaps best sums up their victory: Our key to their tournament victory- an unblem- strategy was to have fun. We accomplished

Mac Kids third baseman Bob Vassallo, left, just misses tagging out fleet-footed Sean Havens from Las Vegas Infamous/ Crowbar during fourth inning action at the ASA Pound for Pound Tournament at Big League Dreams on February 16.

that, and in the meantime we happened to win. The Falcons were originally formed to support self-promotion and advertising for Hernandez and his Falcons Graphic & Design company in Las Vegas. But now, with business thankfully picking up, the emphasis, says Hernandez, is in making the team more competitive, and, in the process, appreciate his many players at times up to 30 and helping take care of them. The Falcons Coed win, though, was definitely not an easy cakewalk. The championship game went the full seven innings, going down to the final inning when they narrowly bested S.U.A.P from Las Vegas by a score of 10 to 9. The winning Falcons run came from shortstop Mike Duszak, playing in his first game for the team. He wanted to win, says coach Hernandez. The scrappy, never-say-die S.U.A.P team finished the tournament with a 3-2 record- a good accomplishment considering they have only been together just over a year. They are definitely a team to reckon with and will assuredly bounce back- to wit, they won the Henderson Anniversary Tournament last year. In preparation for their dozen or so tournaments they are planning to be competing in this year, coach and pitcher Matt McGoldrick says theyll be having more batting practices and working on defensive skills. The third place coed division team, Moreplay from Las Vegas, coached by Zerita Haddock, finished the tournament with a 4-2 record- a remarkable yeomans performance in light of the fact they had only two men playing on their team.

Softball West Magazine l April 2012