The Long Beach Deadwood team won both of their games Saturday, a study in contrasts. The ‘Wood scratched out one run and made it stand up in a 1-0 win over Hellman Motors of Colorado, than won a slugfest, 15-11 against Nevada Power of Reno, CA, to finish 2-0 on the day, win their pool, and capture a first round bye Sunday. The squad will play a 1:15pm semi-final game in the single elimination bracket Sunday, against the winner of the 9:45am quarterfinal between Seattle Fastpitch, WA and Hellman Motors of Colorado.

Paul Castillo provided the offense for Deadwood in the first game, reaching on a base hit, stealing second and coming around to score the game’s lone run. Dan Zupp went the distance, pitching a 5 hit shutout for the win. Castillo also made a game-saving catch for the final out of the game, spearing a liner down the right field line, with a runner aboard.

In their second game, Deadwood staked starter Joe Salcido to a 10-2 lead, but Nevada Reno joined the slugfest, scoring 5 to cut the lead to 10-7. Dan Zupp came on in relief in the fourth inning, and nailed down the win, despite Nevada Reno’s continued scoring. Dan Regas was four for five, including a two out, bases loaded double. Regas had a triple, double and two singles, while Bernie Lopez, a Las Vegas addition to the club, had three RBI. Everyone for the ‘Wood got into the act, with everyone in the lineup getting at least one hit. Dean Bettencourt and Paul Castillo scored three runs each, from the leadoff and nine-spot, respectively. Bettencourt was 3 for 5 in the game.

Long Beach Deadwood will open up the NAFA 50+ Masters at Carson City with a 9:45am game Saturday morning against Hellman Motors of Colorado. Their second game is 1:15pm PST, with the two Saturday games determining their seeding for Sunday’s single elimination bracket.

The Deadwood Roster:

1. Dean Bettencourt
2. Paul Castillo
3. Joe Crawford
4. Jim Flanagan
5. Bernie Lopez
6. Mike Encinas
7. Steve Miner
8. Dan Regas
9. Alan Rohrback
10. Joe Salcido
11. Barry Woolery
12. Dan Zupp
13. Dale Zeller
14. Len McIver

Alan Rohrback is a three-time winner of First Team All World honors at the ISC World Tournament, earning the awards in 1981, as a member of the champion Camarillo Kings, hitting .375 in, again in 1983 as a member of the champion Lancaster Chameleons, hitting .409, and finally, in 1986 as a member of the runner-up Lakewood Chameleons. Rohrbach also earned several All American honors at the ASA Major tournament. Rohrback was one of the game’s premier hitters during the 1980’s. In his first year of 50+ play, he picked up where he left off, winning the batting title at the ASA 50+ at Prescott, Arizona.

Regas and Miner both played in the Western Softball Congress for a number of years, during the Long Beach Nitehawks era. Miner was a member of the 1979 Nitehawk team that finished 2nd in the ISC World that year, at Bakersfield.

Steve Miner, Danny Regas, Dean Bettencourt and the editor were members of the 1991 Vista Bombers, runners-up in the 67 team ASA “A” Nationals that year, a tournament won by the Boulder Springers. Rumor has it that some members of that 1991 Boulder team are on the Hellman Motors team, Deadwood’s first round opponent in this year’s tournament.

Miner will reprise his role as player-manager of this year’s squad, as he was in 2005, and on the 1991 Vista Bombers. This weekend marks the first time Regas and Flanagan have shared a dugout since that 1991 final. Miner has a long history in the game, and was recently signed as an assistant coach of the San Diego Aztecs women’s fastpitch team, sharing space, so-to-speak with the great Tony Gwynn, who heads up the men’s baseball team. Miner had a remarkable .710 winning percentage in 20 years of head coaching experience in San Diego high schools. The SDSU website notes:

At the national level, Miner was a four-time All-American (1979, 1988-90), a seven-time Western Softball Congress all-league selection (1975-81) and the 1975 AAA San Diego Player of the Year. In addition, he set the WSC batting average record in 1979 and batted a national tournament record .793 in 1988. Miner may be best known in the softball world as the first player to try the crossover slap-hitting at the men’s national fast-pitch level, a technique that is widely used in the women’s game today.

Bettencourt set a record at that 1991 ASA “A” National, with 20 hits from the leadoff spot. Bettencourt, Woolery and the editor were teammates on the Vista Rangers at the 1989 ISC World Tournament in Kimberly, WI.

Time flies, eh?

Update Friday night: Rohrback tore a calf muscle yesterday at his son’s soccer practice and will not be able to play Deadwood.