(See Updates/Corrections to this earlier post below)
The So Cal Bombers knocked off Patsy’s of New York on Saturday, August 18, the final day of the ISC World Tournament, before falling to The Farm Tavern of Madison Wisconsin to finish second overall among thirty-two teams in the premier event in men’s fastpitch. The Farm Tavern was the only team in the tournament to defeat the Bombers, doing it twice, while the Bombers knocked off the # 1 and # 2 ranked teams in the tournament, Broken Bow NY and Patsy’s NY along the way. Jason Porto homered in the championship game for the Bombers’ only run, his second home run of the tournament. Bombers pitcher Lucas Mata was named to the All World team, as was teammate Evan Potskin.
The runner-up finish by the Bombers marked the highest finish in the ISC World Tournament by a California team since the Lancaster Chameleons won the event in 1983, twenty-four years ago.
Update/Correction: Ace fastpitch historian and author of “The Dower Report” from time to time here at Fastpitchwest, Herb Dower passed along some information about top finishing California teams at the ISC World Tournament. The So Cal Bombers runnerup finish in this year’s ISC World Tournament was the highest since the 1989 Guanella Brothers finished second. Here’s more on the golden state’s top finishers at the ISC World Tournament.
1984
2nd Ed Smith Welding (Bakersfield)
3rd Chameleons (Lancaster)1986
2nd Chameleons (Lancaster)1989
2nd Guanella Bros. (Rohnert Park)1990
4th Guanella Bros. (Rohnert Park)1991
3rd Guanella Bros. (Rohnert Park)(This was during the Chub Tangaroa era)
More from the corrections department: The earlier post also overlooked the back-to-back titles by the Camarillo Kings in 1981 and 1982 (Mark Smith era) and runnerup finish by Dave Frye Bakersfield in 1982 — and all California final that year.