[RICE LAKE, WI]- The Rice Lake Orangemen came up just short in their bid for a championship in the double A division of the North American Fastpitch Association in tournament play at Des Moines, Iowa August 19-22, losing to Keating Fitness Center of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania 11-3 in the title contest. The Orangemen finished with a record of 7 wins and 2 losses in the 20-team field, including five wins in a row after falling into the loser’s bracket in round 3 play.

Pitcher Bryan Lathrop worked all nine games for Rice Lake until tiring in the 6th inning of the final game, giving way to reliever Sam Hall. For the tournament Lathrop hurled 59 2/3 innings, striking out 63 and posting an earned run average of 1.57. He was the easy choice as the tournament’s Most Valuable Pitcher.

The Orangemen opened tournament play with a 3-1 win over Franny’s Old Irish Pub of Springfield, Illinois, and followed with a 2-1 victory over the pre-tournament favorite Toros of Topeka, Kansas. The Rice Lake squad was then shut out 3-0 and bumped into the loser’s bracket by the Sioux Falls Sox. Consecutive wins over the Gamecocks of Ottumwa, Iowa, 2-1, Pickseed Bronx of Balcarres, Saskatchewan, 4-3, Cerro Gordo of Dawson, Minnesota, 6-0, Willkomm Mobil of Kenosha, Wisconsin 7-4, and 5-0 in a rematch with Sioux Falls propelled the Orangemen into the championship showdown with Keating.

A two run home run by Andy Mathews was the key hit in the opening round win over Franny’s. A sacrifice fly by Mathews provided the game winning RBI in the Topeka victory, a game in which Travis Thompson’s single drove in the other run and Josh Calleja was 2 for 3. Mathews and Joby Davidsavor had the only two Orangemen hits, both singles, in the loss to Sioux Falls.
Thompson was 2 for 3 with a double and Calleja 2 for 4 in the squeeker over Ottumwa. Tim Hall was 3 for 3 with a triple and drove in Aldie Halverson with the game winning run in the bottom of the 7th versus Balcarres Halverson was running for Mathews who had doubled. Keith Kuklinski chipped in a 3 for 3 performance and Lathrop was 2 for 2. In the Cerro Gordo matchup Adam Bayer had a pair of home runs in 3 at bats, Mathews 2 for 3 with a home run, Tim Hall 2 for 3, and Jeremy Andersen had a triple.

Bayer was 3 for 3 with a home run in the comeback win over Willkomm. Andersen, Davidsavor, and Mathews were all 2 for 3 and Tim Hall had a double. Nick Goodremote was 3 for 3 and Tim Hall, Davidsavor, and Jim Milkowski were all 2 for 4, Hall with a double. Bayer made the play of the game in left field by racing with his back toward the fence to make a diving catch. Bayer and Davidsavor both batted 2 for 3 in the championship game loss.

In addition to Lathrop, Orangemen Mathews, Calleja and Bayer were selected to the all-tournament team. The second place finish equals Rice Lake’s 2nd place finish in single A play in 2002 at Salem, Oregon.

The Orangemen also participated in the single A division, with Lathrop not allowed to pitch, and finished with a 3-2 record. Rice Lake lost the opening game 4-1 in 8 innings to IRC Militia of Indianapolis, rebounded with a 5-4 victory over Life of Iowa Insurance of Oelwein, rolled to a 10-1 triumph over the Hastings, Michigan Merchants, and edged Images of Ostrander, Minnesota 8-6 before bowing to Brittain and Sons Construction of Des Moines, 7-3.

Rice Lake scored a run in the 7th as Mathews singled in Milkowski to force the extra frame, but the Orangemen lost an inning later to IRC. Tim Hall had a double while Bert Ford was losing pitcher. Mathews homered, Milkowski tripled, and Andersen doubled to give Ford the relief win over Life of Iowa.

Ford again got the win in the trouncing of Hastings. Thompson was 3 for 3 with a 3 run home run, Tim Hall, 2for 2, Sam Hall 2 for 3, and Andersen 2 for 3 with a double. Andersen got the win in relief in the conquest of Ostrander. Calleja batted 3 for 3, Davidsavor 3 for 4 with a triple, Bayer 2 for 3, Tim Hall 2 for 4, and Thompson 2 for 4 with a double.

Thompson was 2 for 3, Milkowski 2 for 4, and Davidsavor doubled in the elimination loss to Des Moines.
51 teams competed in the single A tourney.

Champions crowned in addition to AA Keating Fitness were: Open Division, the Bar of Appleton, Wisconsin; AA-Major, Dirt Bags of Manor, Texas; A-Major, El Paso Steel of Ciudad Juarez, Mexico; 23-under, Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan; and 18-under, Northwest Implement of Maryville, Missouri.

Click here for Bob Otto’s article and photos.

(click banner for original news story at OttoinFocus)

Written by Bob Otto on August 6th, 2010

The Waseda University men’s fastpitch softball team from Tokyo, Japan, will be playing in the NAFA World Series 23-Under Division, Aug. 13-15, in Des Moines, Iowa. Waseda won the 2005 AA Division, and is looking to win another championship in its four World Series appearances.

Courtesy Photo

By BOB OTTO
NAFA Reporter / Photographer
botto3 (at) verizon.net

“For our team, this is a real privilege to play a team that cares to travel that far to play ball.” – Rich Markham, manager Westerville Capitals

TOKYO, JAPAN – Stadium Lanes of Duluth, Minnesota will travel 314 miles to Des Moines, Iowa to play softball. That’s a short drive compared with Waseda University’s travel plans.

The Tokyo, Japan University fastpitch softball team will fly 6,313 miles to Chicago, Illinois, then board a bus for another 307-mile jaunt to Des Moines – site of the 2010 North American Fastpitch Association (NAFA) World Series.

All for the love of playing fastpitch softball. And for the opportunity to once again lay claim to a World Series championship. Waseda will play in the 12-team, Age 23-Under Division (Aug. 13-15) that features top young men’s teams from Canada and the U.S.

(more…)

Bar of Appleton (last years AAA Champions) claimed the NAFA Open World Series with a 3-0 shutout over New Image(last years AA-Major Champion). Andrew Blackshaw was the winning pitcher and Kevin Kammueller took the loss. Josh Johnson, Bar of Appleton, was the MVP and Jeremy Holman,New Image, was the MVPitcher with a zero era, 3-0 and a perfect game. Other all world selections not already listed were Dan Wall of Wilber Lime, Jim Pecoraro and David Schuett of Dolan & Murphy, Joe Benash, Todd Burlage, Harvey Knuteson, Adam Bussan of New Image and Pat Humphries, Chris Delorit, Andrew Blackshaw,Jess Delorit and Tom Crouch of the Bar.

Final Order of Finish
1-Bar of Appleton, 4-0
2-New Image, 5-2
3-Rocky Mountain Rebels, 3-2
4-Pete’s Blues, 2-2
5-Dolan & Murphy, 3-2
6-Wilber Lime, 2-3
7-Gehrig Falcons, 2-3
8-Willkom Mobil, 2-3
9-Kegel Knights,0-3
9-BAC Pride, 0-3

Dolan & Murphy won the Sunday Single Elimination Bracket 4-1 over Wilber Lime with Ales Jetmer taking the win and Dan Wall taking the loss.

Editor’s note: Click here for the complete recap of the NAFA Open World Series.

One man, one camera, 160 teams

(click banner for original news story at OttoinFocus)

Written by Bob Otto on July 22nd, 2010

YUCAIPA, CA – I emailed Maddy Flanagan, ISC photographer extraordinaire, and the lovely wife of Fastpitchwest Editor, Jim Flanagan.

I needed some camera lens advice.

“Maddy I’m thinking of shooting the NAFA World Series in Des Moines, and I’m thinking (usually I don’t do much of that) of buying a 300mm lens. What f-stop is yours?”

“That would be awesome if you could shoot NAFA!” said Maddy.

Well, Maddy gave me her lens advice, I bought the lens (received it yesterday) and this morning I told NAFA Executive Director, Benjie Hedgecock, that I’ll be in Des Moines.

It’s been a long drought for me. My last national tournament was the 2000 ISC World Tournament in St. Joseph, Missouri. A great tournament and wonderful city, by the way.

Now, 10 years later, I’m off to Des Moines. And I’m jazzed about it. Just imagine, more than 160 teams battling in six divisions for World Series championships from Aug. 13 to Aug 22.

More than 160 teams!

“Gulp.”

I just realized that I’m going to attempt to shoot a LOT of teams and players. The most I’ve covered before was when the ISC World Tournament had the double-knockout, 48 team bracket.

Make that a double, “gulp, gulp.”

But since Benjie and I have emailed back and forth, I’m ready to go. Ready to photograph and report as much as possible. We want the NAFA website to sizzle and sing with game reports, photos, and ballpark updates.

And that’s where we need the help of the teams making the trip to Des Moines.

You’re going to see this guy – me – lugging around two cameras, one hanging off each shoulder, along with a notepad. Oh, and a tape recorder stuck in my pants pocket. (If you talk faster than I can write, you will be recorded.)

I’m going to be asking you managers for a few minutes of your time – perhaps BEFORE a game is about to begin. I’m going to be asking to talk with your players. I promise I won’t take much of your time because I know you want to focus on the games at hand.

And I’m always on the hunt for short profile stories. So if you’ve got someone on your ball club I should know about, then flag me down.

And if there’s someone who wants to help me out, perhaps gathering post-game information (I can furnish you with a guide), that’d be awesome.

I’ve been emailing and talking on the phone with many of you for the past year. I’m looking forward to finally putting faces with the names. This is going to be fun.

See you in Des Moines!