An occasional breeze gave the hundreds of spectators a break from the sweltering 107 degree heat at the 10U IFA/VTD Gulf Regional World Series Tournament in Forney, Texas. Forney's MESA (Metro East Softball Association) played host to the hundreds of out-of-town guests that came to cheer on the 30 teams from all over Texas and the Gulf Region, some from as far away as El Paso.
An occasional breeze gave the hundreds of spectators a break from the sweltering 107 degree heat at the 10U IFA/VTD Gulf Regional World Series Tournament in Forney, Texas. Forney's MESA (Metro East Softball Association) played host to the hundreds of out-of-town guests that came to cheer on the 30 teams from all over Texas and the Gulf Region, some from as far away as El Paso.
The four day tournament that began on Thursday, July 26th and ran through Sunday, July 29th saw roughly 1,400 people pass through the softball complex's gates at the Forney Community Park. Forney's Best Western, a MESA sponsor, was fully booked for this week's tournament for several months. Most local businesses saw a huge rise in sales and left many struggling to get ice from their local distributors and MESA estimated they sold over 300 bags.
The IFA/VTD Gulf Regional World Series Tournament was played as a double elimination bracket tournament. Several teams made a quick name for themselves by bumping team after team into the Losers (L) Bracket. One of the teams, the San Antonio Tap Out, went undefeated into Sunday while working their way to the Championship game.
The final games of the tournament began bright and early Sunday at 9:00 a.m. when teams and field crews were seen preparing for the games ahead. One game in particular, the San Antonio Tap Out vs. the Austin Stix was more important than most imagined at this early hour. Both teams had previously played each other in the regular season, going back and forth with winning streaks of 3 and 5. The Stix also showed a very impressive defensive record throughout the tournament by not allowing any scored runs until their match-up with the Tap Out. That game ended with Tap Out winning 5-1 and sending the Stix to the L Bracket.
The Stix were determined to not give up, they played back-to-back games all morning in hopes of one last chance to play in the Championship game. The Tap Out went on to play Texas Elite later in the afternoon, beating them 8-5.
The game for third place was played between the Stix and the Elite, both beaten previously by the Tap Out. The Stix pulled off a 10-2 win over the Elite, sending them back on the road and the Austin Stix to the Championship game against the San Antonio Tap Out.
Tensions were high going into the Championship game between the Tap Out and the Stix. If the Stix pulled off a win in the game scheduled for 3:20 p.m. they would need to play again at an “if” game at 4:55 p.m. to double eliminate the Tap Out.
The first two innings were uneventful with neither team scoring. In the third inning the Tap Out looked poised to score with a runner on 2nd and the crowd roaring wildly. The batter up hit a centerfield fly ball resulting in a double play, ending the inning.
The Tap Out was able to secure 3 runs in the 4th inning because of some amazingly placed hits into the outfield. The Stix were now up to bat, the time expired during their half of the inning. Because of the tournament bracket setup, the last team up to bat is allowed to finish their at-bats. During the very tense final moments, with players and spectators exhausted from the heat, the Tap Out allowed 1 run to be scored. The San Antonio Tap Out sealed the deal by ousting the last at-bats and became the undefeated 2012 IFA/VTD Gulf Regional Champions.
The Head Coach of the San Antonio Tap Out, Nathan Rodriguez, stated that they had just put the team together last fall. They held tryouts with 20 girls showing up and 8 landing on the roster, they eventually found 4 other players to complete their 12 player roster. Rodriguez said the team dedicated this tournament to a player whose family relocated to Tennessee and they are proud and excited about the outcome.
MESA Vice President and Tournament Director, Michelle Whitsell stated, “These were by far some of the best 10U players I've ever seen and we look forward to hosting another World Series here in Forney.”
Pictured: Undefeated 2012 IFA/VTD Gulf Regional World Series Champions the San Antonio Tap Out.
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