2017 Nationwide Conference USSSA
18th Annual Cincinnati Major
Cincinnati, Ohio
July 14-16
Andy Purcell bats against Resmondo in the winner's bracket finals on Saturday night
Link to SoftballCenter picture album of Cincinnati
2017 Cincinnati Major bracket and info link
The Cincinnati Major started with 36 teams, 26 of whom were from the Nationwide Conference USSSA! So, this was a huge weekend for a lot of teams battling in the points standings. The tournament started out on Friday night with an upset as Cornerstone a Kentucky 'A' team who had struggled most of the year knocked off IL-AA team Precision 22-21. There were some other close calls as Nightmare MO-AA team just got past Wiley's FL-B 35-30, Xtreme MN-AA got past HB Softball MI-B 32-25, Bad Draw NC-A knocked off local Premier OH-B 30-24, TDB/TMSports NC-AA separated late and beat TG Brand MI-B 35-22, and JBL/Tailgaters OH-A run ruled a depleted Killbombers TX-AA team 25-10. Killbombers playing with about half of their normal starters. There was one other close call as Newbreed WA-M narrowly escaped with a 35-34 win over Headlines OH-C team with Headlines having runners on base in the bottom of the 7th but they couldn't quite come through. Also, Primetime GA-A got a nice win over fellow 'A' team Pure Sports 26-24 when Pure Sports grounded into a double play to end the game. All 4 of the other Major teams (Resmondo, SIS/Scene, Dan Smith, SIS/Thunder) cruised to first round wins.
In the 2nd round which was played on Saturday morning in perfect weather, Newbreed was actually down to Bay Area Legends by a couple runs when they proceeded to bat for what seemed like a half an hour and came away with a 34-19 win. Worth Astros knocked off Primetime 36-34 thanks in part to center fielder Josh Kirstens 2 home run robbing catches. #2 Resmondo separated from JBL early and cruised to a 35-15 win. OA Apparel beat The Scene over on field #3 18-12, The Scene leaving a pile of home runs on the table in that one. Cornerstone continued their winning streak with a HUGE 32-30 extra innings win over major team Dan Smith as they scored more after the home runs were out. And SIS/Thunder and SIS/Scene/TDB knocked off TDB/TMSports and Bad Draw respectively to advance to the final 8. The best game of the second round however was Xtreme vs Nightmare, a "Benjamin grudge match" of sorts. In that one it came down to who had the bats last and Xtreme used base hits by Shannon Smith and Cooper Vittitow to set up a walk off homer by Joe Skyles to win 31-30.
The quarter finals started at noon on Saturday and all 4 games were played back to back on the show field similar to the schedule at the Smoky Mountain Classic. Smash It/Scene knocked off Xtreme 31-20 in a game where you can see that Xtreme is so used to playing these Major teams that they seem to be in every game against them. Then Resmondo 20 run ruled OA Apparel. At 3:30 PM Newbreed knocked off Worth Astros 34-26 in a great game as Chente Granados the 2nd baseman for Newbreed was stealing two out hits with his great range. And in the 5 PM game SIS/Thunder put up the highest score of the tournament beating Cornerstone 50-39. But how about Cornerstone pushing this game to 7 innings? Cornerstone went up 35-30 in the bottom of the 4th inning at one point. What a run Cornerstone had made with those wins over Precision and Dan Smith and giving everything they had against SIS/Thunder!
So the semifinals were set and got started well after 8 PM on Saturday as things started to run long. Resmondo couldn't shake Newbreed up on field #2 and the game got real close in the 7th inning although Resmondo held on 33-30. And on field 1, #1 SIS/Scene/TDB got off to a bad start trailing SIS/Thunder 23-10 after 3 complete innings. Kevin Filby's 3 run homer for Thunder capped a 13-run inning. In the bottom of the 4th Thunder needed just 9 runs to mercy rule SIS/Scene with plenty of homers to get the job done but Andy Purcell got two Thunder hitters to pop out and Thunder left the door open to a comeback. SIS/Scene then flashed the leather up the middle with great plays by Dedonatis at SS, Reyna in the middle, and Jason Branch at second base and shut Thunder down while scoring 15 runs in the top of the 6th to go up 34-27 and they held on to win 41-35.
In the winner's bracket finals, it was all Smash It/Scene/TDB as they scored 29 runs in the top of the 3rd and won by the 30-run rule 45-12. Resmondo couldn't field and couldn't match their hitting or energy in that one.
In the loser's bracket some teams made some epic runs. Major team Dan Smith knocked off Worsham B, TDB/TMSports AA, OA Apparel AA, and run ruled Worth Astros AA, and SIS/Thunder well after midnight to make it to Sunday. And 'AA' team Precision who had lost their first game Friday beat LaFamiglia B, Bay Area Legends A by 4, Primetime A by 10, run ruled Xtreme AA, beat Premier B by 1 on a walk off hit by Kyle Kannenberg, and Dan Bean hit a walk off homer in extra innings at 1:30 AM in the morning to beat Major team Newbreed. On Sunday morning Precision just would not go away against Dan Smith or Resmondo and beat them both to advance to the championship.
In the championship a fresh SIS/Scene/Albicocoo team put up 16 runs and hit Precision pitcher Dan Bean twice in the first inning. The second one hitting Bean in the facemask and he was unable to continue. Precision manager Todd Ankney was also ejected for arguing balls and strikes and they didn't have enough rostered players to continue the game, thus handing the tournament to SIS/Scene who wasn't going to be beaten anyways.
Smash It Sports/Scene/TDB/Miken/Worth wins their 4th tournament in a row, 8th of the year, and increase their winning streak to 22 straight games! Their seasons record is now 55-5.
The best diver of the tournament goes to Killbombers 2nd baseman Josh Brown who was playing on the grass Friday night and made a full speed diving fully stretched out play on a hard grounder towards first and threw the runner out. He pounced on it like a lion pouncing on a deer! Great play! Dal Beggs had a nice diver at third base vs Primetime. Josh Kirsten had the two home run robs vs Primetime. Kevin Bazat had one of the better sliding backhands, and the TG Brand middle man climbed the ladder to snap off a hard line drive against TDB/TMSports Friday night. Those are just a fraction of the great plays that could be witnessed all weekend long.
Crowd was biggest on Friday
Team Breakdown:
36 Teams Overall
25 Nationwide Conference USSSA Teams
5 Major Teams
9 'AA' Teams
5 'A' Teams
9 'B' Teams
8 'C' Teams
Bryson Baker scores on an awkward slide against Newbreed
Cornerstone takes on Precision on Friday night on Field #3
Another grudge match between Nightmare and Xtreme
Resmondo and SIS/Scene/TDB Saturday night
SIS/Thunders Jeremy Yates hits a line drive homer in a close game against Cornerstone
Field #3 and Field #4
Lots of complaining from teams about flat pitches.
Conference umpires definitely make you pitch a hump but some teams feel Andy gets a lower strike.
Cincinnati Major Awards and Final Standings
No Awards have been listed yet online.
| Place | State | Team | Team Class | Wins | Losses | Ties | Runs Scored |
Runs Allow |
Avg Runs |
Avg Runs Allow |
Avg Run Diff |
Max Runs |
Ranking Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NY – Rochester | SMASH IT/SCENE/TDB/MIKEN/WORTH | USSSA-SPMensMajor | 6 | 0 | 0 | 215 | 99 | 35.8 | 16.5 | 19.3 | 45 | 300 |
| 2 | IL – Chicago | Precision/3rd St./GBrand/Easton | USSSA-Mens-AA | 8 | 2 | 0 | 294 | 230 | 29.4 | 23.0 | 6.4 | 42 | 225 |
| 3 | FLS – Winter Haven | Resmondo/O.A.Apparel/H.Auto/SPTank | USSSA-SPMensMajor | 4 | 2 | 0 | 179 | 140 | 29.8 | 23.3 | 6.5 | 38 | 200 |
| 4 | CAN – San Jose | Dan Smith/Menosse | USSSA-SPMensMajor | 6 | 2 | 0 | 252 | 136 | 31.5 | 17.0 | 14.5 | 41 | 175 |
| 5 | WA – Tukwila | NEWBREED/GTS/DEMARINI | USSSA-SPMensMajor | 3 | 2 | 0 | 162 | 143 | 32.4 | 28.6 | 3.8 | 35 | 155 |
| 5 | NY – Wading River | SIS/THUNDER/MIKEN/WORTH/LOUISVILLE | USSSA-SPMensMajor | 3 | 2 | 0 | 155 | 138 | 31.0 | 27.6 | 3.4 | 50 | 155 |
| 7 | OH – Morrow | Premier/Easton | USSSA-Mens-B | 5 | 2 | 0 | 211 | 155 | 30.1 | 22.1 | 8.0 | 39 | 230 |
| 7 | IN – Indianapolis | WORTH ASTROS / K&G / KLUTCH | USSSA-Mens-AA | 3 | 2 | 0 | 145 | 140 | 29.0 | 28.0 | 1.0 | 45 | 130 |
| 9 | MO – Branson | Nightmare/Miken | USSSA-Mens-AA | 3 | 2 | 0 | 167 | 161 | 33.4 | 32.2 | 1.2 | 39 | 110 |
| 9 | KY – Richmond | Cornerstone/BuffaloWings&Rings | USSSA-Mens-A | 2 | 2 | 0 | 98 | 126 | 24.5 | 31.5 | -7.0 | 39 | 110 |
| 9 | TXN – Gladewater | OA APPAREL/BROUGHTON/KBI/EASTON | USSSA-Mens-AA | 2 | 2 | 0 | 99 | 99 | 24.8 | 24.8 | 0.0 | 34 | 110 |
| 9 | MN – Medina | Xtreme/Miken/ASP/Athlon | USSSA-Mens-AA | 2 | 2 | 0 | 92 | 123 | 23.0 | 30.8 | -7.8 | 32 | 110 |
| 13 | OH – Hamilton | The Scene/HDLNS/BHR/Easton | USSSA-Mens-AA | 2 | 2 | 0 | 98 | 86 | 24.5 | 21.5 | 3.0 | 36 | 70 |
| 13 | NC – Greenville | Bad Draw/B&B/Broughton/BAF/Worth | USSSA-Mens-A | 2 | 2 | 0 | 115 | 126 | 28.8 | 31.5 | -2.8 | 34 | 70 |
| 13 | NC – Charlotte | TDB/TMSports/MidWestWhiteTailAdv/Mi | USSSA-Mens-AA | 2 | 2 | 0 | 112 | 129 | 28.0 | 32.3 | -4.3 | 49 | 70 |
| 13 | GA – Macon | Primetime/Easton | USSSA-Mens-A | 2 | 2 | 0 | 108 | 117 | 27.0 | 29.3 | -2.3 | 34 | 70 |
| 17 | SC – Charleston | Pure Sports/HB | USSSA-Mens-A | 2 | 2 | 0 | 133 | 107 | 33.3 | 26.8 | 6.5 | 43 | 40 |
| 17 | TXN – Frisco | Killbombers / Demarini / GS Sports | USSSA-Mens-AA | 2 | 2 | 0 | 99 | 86 | 24.8 | 21.5 | 3.3 | 31 | 40 |
| 17 | MI – Flint | TG Brand.Easton | USSSA-Mens-B | 2 | 2 | 0 | 86 | 72 | 21.5 | 18.0 | 3.5 | 28 | 140 |
| 17 | NC – Hendersonville | Worsham Athletics/BF Cattle/Athon/M | USSSA-Mens-B | 1 | 2 | 0 | 66 | 98 | 22.0 | 32.7 | -10.7 | 44 | 140 |
| 17 | MI – Dearborn | Rebel Sports/Game On/Dirty/hangrite | USSSA-Mens-B | 1 | 2 | 0 | 66 | 95 | 22.0 | 31.7 | -9.7 | 28 | 140 |
| 17 | OH – Kent | JBL/Tailgaters/All In/B&E/Worth | USSSA-Mens-AA | 1 | 2 | 0 | 61 | 71 | 20.3 | 23.7 | -3.3 | 25 | 40 |
| 17 | MI – Kalamazoo | HB/SoftballFans/Miken/Evil | USSSA-Mens-B | 1 | 2 | 0 | 70 | 63 | 23.3 | 21.0 | 2.3 | 26 | 140 |
| 17 | CAN – Castro Valley | Bay Area Legends/Miken | USSSA-Mens-A | 1 | 2 | 0 | 83 | 77 | 27.7 | 25.7 | 2.0 | 35 | 40 |
| 25 | OH – Neo | Titan truckin | USSSA-Mens-B | 1 | 2 | 0 | 49 | 70 | 16.3 | 23.3 | -7.0 | 25 | 65 |
| 25 | OH – Cincinnati | JLS/YODER TRANS/EAGLE BLDGS/PAUER | USSSA-Mens-C | 1 | 2 | 0 | 32 | 73 | 10.7 | 24.3 | -13.7 | 19 | 40 |
| 25 | OH – Columbus | Xtreme Associates/Harpers | USSSA-Mens-C | 1 | 2 | 0 | 34 | 79 | 11.3 | 26.3 | -15.0 | 23 | 0 |
| 25 | IN – St. Leon | Bellys/Durbin Bowl/Chandlers/DannyB | USSSA-Mens-C | 1 | 2 | 0 | 53 | 82 | 17.7 | 27.3 | -9.7 | 21 | 0 |
| 25 | OH – Cincinnati | Headlines Sportswear / CSB frozen | USSSA-Mens-C | 0 | 2 | 0 | 67 | 79 | 33.5 | 39.5 | -6.0 | 34 | 65 |
| 25 | FLS – Haines City | Wileys Supreme/Miken/Worth | USSSA-Mens-B | 0 | 2 | 0 | 41 | 61 | 20.5 | 30.5 | -10.0 | 30 | 140 |
| 25 | PAW – Pittsburgh | LaFamiglia/MW/Elite | USSSA-Mens-C | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 77 | 1.5 | 38.5 | -37.0 | 2 | 65 |
| 25 | MD – Baltimore | CGR/HOUSE MONEY/JIMMY'S SEAFOOD/MCC | USSSA-Mens-B | 0 | 2 | 0 | 32 | 60 | 16.0 | 30.0 | -14.0 | 22 | 65 |
| 33 | KY – DRY RIDGE | Redeemed/American Lighthouse | USSSA-Mens-C | 0 | 2 | 0 | 44 | 56 | 22.0 | 28.0 | -6.0 | 24 | 0 |
| 33 | OH – Cincinnati | T&W/HDLNS/MIKEN frozen | USSSA-Mens-C | 0 | 2 | 0 | 22 | 49 | 11.0 | 24.5 | -13.5 | 12 | 65 |
| 33 | OH – Columbus | Old Bag/Chubby's/Pauer Sports | USSSA-Mens-B | 0 | 2 | 0 | 44 | 55 | 22.0 | 27.5 | -5.5 | 25 | 65 |
| 33 | OH – Cincinnati | Tropics frozen | USSSA-Mens-C | 0 | 2 | 0 | 15 | 44 | 7.5 | 22.0 | -14.5 | 15 | 65 |
