2005 Cincinnati USSSA Major NIT

Resmondo/Dan Smith/Menosse didn’t wait very long to regain the #1 ranking, just six days to be exact. Travis went to bed last Sunday night and had a dream, and that dream was he needed to get his team back playing against the Bell Corp team as soon as he could. The Resmondo team was not scheduled to play in this one. Travis called all his players and told them “we are going to Cincinnati and your plane tickets will be at your house on Wednesday. The rest of the story is pretty simple. They went and they won. Andy Purcell was the tournament’s MVP, as he hit it and pitched his usual way on route to the Championship. The rest of the team picked up their play after last weekend’s let down at the Smoky. Resmondo and the Bell boys got it on again in the winner’s bracket finals, and Resmondo’s squeaked out a one run win. These two have had some great games so far this season. They are now 7-7 against each other. The Sod boys have not lost to anybody except Bell Corp this whole season. The Bell team has lost ten times this year, seven to Resmondo, once to Team Combat, one time to Benfield and now one time to Quick Roofing/Alabama Brick/Doc’s/Easton, who took second in this one. The Brick boys beat the Bell boys in the loser’s bracket final in the upset. Make no mistake, this Quick Roofing team is one very good A team. They will be a force in the Class A Worlds, I guarantee you. This team has people who know how to win, and have won a lot over the years. I also believe that if the two big boys don’t play well against this team, they could get beat also. Great job guys in this one. The Bell boys had to settle for third place in this one, as they lost a tough one run game against Resmondo and then got bit by Quick Roofing/Alabama Brick boys and sent to the house. This is the second time that Bell has finished in third place in a NIT this year. I heard that some of the Resmondo players said they were very happy for the Brick boys in their win over Bell, but would of liked to of played the Bell boys in the finals. I’m sure they would have wanted to get some more revenge in this heated rivalry between these two giants. Fourth place went to Watanabe/Alpine/TPS who just continues to be very competitive every weekend. This is another Class A team who will be reckoned with in the Class A Worlds that they play in this year. This is a veteran laden team who also have some people who know how to get it done. Great job guys! This was another bad weekend for the AM/Las Vegas/Benfield/Reece/Belcher/Shade/Easton boys, who just don’t get it done sometimes against the lower class teams. I’m not quite sure what the problem is, but this team is much, much better and should never lose to these lower teams or go 0-2 that’s for sure. Team Stucco, who has been the hottest team the last two weeks, cooled off in this one going 2-2, but make no mistake they are going to be very tough in the Class A Worlds.

I want to congratulate whoever ran this USSSA NIT in Cincinnati. There sure was a very good field of teams in this one. I earlier wrote a story about cutting down the NIT’s next year and I named some cities they should play in. I made a big mistake and apologize for leaving out the City of Cincinnati. Cincinnati is one of the hot beds of softball now and has been for years. Believe me they deserve to hold an NIT every year. I want to thank Jim McCarron again for the terrific work he does for posting scores and highlights for every USSSA NIT. Great job Jim, it is truly appreciated, believe me.