In 2004, Edge Fastpitch, pardon the pun, edged out the Rounders for the So Cal ASA Alliance title by a single point. Hard to imagine it could be any closer in 2005, but it was.
Primetime Fastpitch (with a few players from last year’s Edge team) nosed out the Amigos for the Alliance crown on a “runs allowed” formula, after the two teams wound up in a dead heat after the seventh and final tournament of the year at Santa Fe Springs. The Amigos lost a heartbreaker, 14-13 to the Long Beach Black Sox in extra innings, which proved to be the difference.
The Long Beach Black Sox captured their third Alliance tournament title of the year in the final weekend, ahead of the Rounders, whom they beat in the title game.
The Rounders held third place for most of the season, but were excluded from tournament #6 July 10-11 by virtue of having captured an ASA “C” Nationals berth in Stockton over Memorial Day, earning zero (0) points, while everyone else moved up.
Fred Hanker’s Black Sox squad was the only team to win more than one Alliance tournament during the season, falling just short of the four won by the Rounders in 2004, and five won by the Kanakas (former name for Edge), in 2003.
For more details and the final standings, visit the So Cal ASA website.
The Alliance will send at least six (6) teams to the ASA “C” Nationals in Stockton over the Labor day Weekend, September 1-5, 2005. Three of the six captured berths for the ASA “C” in qualifiers, the Rounders (Stockton in May), and Rude Pac and RAW (Santa Fe Springs), while the other three earned berths for their finish in the standings, champions Primetime, runnerup Amigos, and the third place Long Beach Black Sox.
One more door remains open to teams trying to get into the big event, a regional qualifier in Lancaster August 6-7, 2005. No word yet which teams are headed to that one.