2023 SoCal Championships Tournament Highlights

75AA Champions – Top Gun Olde Dawgs

Top Gun Olde Dawgs 75 played in the 75/80 Silver Division of the Southern California Championship Tournament at Diamond Valley Lakes Sports Complex in Hemet on June 20-22, 2023. In our 3 game seeding round we won games against Git-R-Done 18-8, Top Gun Gold 80 23-9 and lost to Top Gun Blue Angel 14-13. Won first game in Championship Bracket against Top Gun Blue Angels, lost game to Top Gun Gold 80 Major 19-13 and came back to beat Get-R-Done 13-10 for Championship and automatic bid to TOC. All tournament players were Dave Bubb, Nicho Hinojosa, Wayne Poindexter and John Rosenberg.

Team Standouts:

First the team had a 700% on base percentage for the tournament which will win most tournaments.
Jim Kenney had a golden tournament offensively, going 21 for 21 on base for a 1000% average and led the team with 16 RBI’s.
Frank Sperling batted for .737 on base percentage and played great defense at shortstop.
Frank Mazzeo had a .700 on base percentage with 13 RBI’s.
Ed Hawthorne had 12 RBI’s and batted for a .684 on base percentage.
Tom Harwood pitched brilliantly for 5 winning games and the team championship.

55AAA Champions – Top Gun Storm

Top Gun Storm 55AAA has an incredible 8th inning open inning in the Championship game to win the 2023 SoCal State Championships in Hemet CA. Top Gun Storm entered the Championship game by beating Fossil Fuel on Saturday afternoon 13-12 in the final winner's bracket game. Fossil Fuel beat Dirty Sox in the loser's bracket final on Sunday to enter the Championship game. In the Championship game, both teams were tied 12-12 going into the open inning. Top Gun Storm lead off the open inning but was unsuccessful scoring any runs. This opened the door for Fossil Fuel as they only needed one run to send this tournament into a second game and hoping that a "double dip" was within reach. Unfortunately, Fossil Fuel did not score in the open inning. So the game continued into the 8th inning also known as the international tie breaker. From there, Top Gun Storm took control of the game scoring 14 runs. Fossil Fuel made a valiant effort but were unsuccessful. This is the 2nd SSUSA TOC tournament win for the Top Gun Storm team in 2023. Congratulations gentlemen!!!

50AAA Champions – Top Gun Renegades

The Top Gun Renegades had a memorable journey in the SoCal State Championships, starting with a hard-fought victory over Rancid, winning 21-18. Their next game against the SoCal Bears started well, but they eventually suffered an 18-19 loss in the crucial open inning. Despite this setback, the Renegades believed they were underrated as the seventh seed.
In the bracket play, they faced the second-seeded Cali Gold and maintained a narrow lead throughout, winning 23-21 in a thrilling game. They then took on their familiar rival, Viejos, and secured a 25-22 victory, displaying consistency and resilience.

In the championship game rematch against Viejos, the Renegades experienced four lead changes. With Viejos leading by two runs in the top of the open inning, the Renegades staged a remarkable comeback, with their next four batters delivering a walk-off victory of 15-14. This extraordinary performance crowned them as the champions of the SoCal State Championships.

Throughout the tournament, the Renegades faced tough opponents and displayed their skills and determination. Despite facing challenges and experiencing their only loss in pool play, they persevered, showcasing their talent and ultimately emerging victorious in the championship game.

All Tournament players:
David Perez
Sonny Coon
George Ramsey
Eddie Fernandez
Billy Loard