Alise Electric takes 2007 ASA "E" Nationals

By: C.J. Russell

More photos from the E ASA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

Phoenix, Arizona is renown for its sweltering summers and this year the scorching temperatures extended well into the month of September. This fact, however, did not stop 58 teams for turning up the heat in the 2007 ASA "E" Nationals.

On Friday, September 7th, teams managers gathered for the Managers Dinner and seeding draw. At daybreak the following morning their respective teams converged upon Victory Lane, Glendale, Arizona's premier recreational sports complex, to do battle.

The tournament lived up to the three-digit temperatures in which it was played, with hotly contested games throughout. Roughly eighty percent of the contests were decided by 6 runs or less and going into the awards round it was still anybody's guess just whom would prevail. Ultimately, it would be a feisty team from Cathedral City, California that pulled it off. Coach J.R. Ruiz successfully guided Alise Electric through a perfect 7-0 run to the Championship Cup.

Their journey to the championship began with first and second round victories over Tucson, Arizona's La Familia and Phoenix, Arizona's Just Us, respectively. They next put together a 13-7 victory over yet another Phoenix team, OPC, and thus positioned themselves for their game with Coach Ervin Wall's True Willpower from San Diego, California. This fiery team had compiled three straight victories on their way to the match-up with Alise Electric. Ultimately, Alise prevailed and now awaited the representative from the bottom bracket of their opening group.

That team would be Game Time from Las Vegas, Nevada. Coach Paul Martinez had assembled a worthy squad and they had amassed consecutive victories over three Arizona teams. Team Outkass, Yard Dogs and Phil's Tires had all put up valiant efforts, but had each fallen short of derailing Game Time. At 7:40 a.m. on Sunday morning, in the deciding game of the bracket, tournament M.V.P. Joel Ruiz stepped up to lead Alise Electric past the dogged Game Time by the slim margin of 8-7.

In the opposing group, four teams were marching towards apparent showdowns. Coach Rich Jacinta's team, The Crew, from Tucson, Arizona had dispatched two Arizona teams, PDF and Yo Momma, before dealing California's Konkrete a 14-11 loss. Southern California's Rohlfing Law Miners dealt blows to two other locals, Do Work and Get 'R Done, to set themselves up for a clash with The Crew. In the end, Rohlfing Law Miners sent The Crew to the loser's bracket and the long road to a championship opportunity.

In the bottom bracket, northern Cal's Roster Check settled a regional rivalry with southern Cal's LCP, before handing Arizona's Self Committed a map to the long route. They next sent fellow Californians Get Er Done packing, setting up the group showdown with Rohlfing Law Miners. In the ensuing Sunday morning clash, the Miners asserted themselves successfully by an impressive margin and set the stage for the awards round.

The final bracket both promised and delivered fireworks. At last, the clash of the only two remaining undefeated teams took place. Alice Electric and Rohlfing Law Miners had both gotten what rest they could since their 10:00 p.m. games the preceding evening. At 9:50 a.m. the following morning they delivered an exciting contest before the crowded stands of Victory Lane. From the start the two teams matched each other both in runs scored and defensive plays executed. However, when the dust settled, it was Alise Electric who walked away with the 10-8 victory, propelling themselves into the championship game. They now had only to await the outcome of the loser's bracket.

Two teams had scratched and clawed their way back. The Crew had by now played seven games and sported a record of 6 wins and 1 loss. True Willpower had accompanied them into the bracket in the same round and held the same record. Willpower's all tournament players, Doug Russell, Miles Bush, Paul Jacinto and Danny Madara gave it their all but ultimately succumbed to a 13-8 loss. Thus ended their journey and they exited the tournament in fourth place.

The Crew now took 7 wins and 1 loss into their next clash with Rohlfing Law Miners who weighed in with 4 wins and 1 loss. All tournament players led both teams. Miners members, Jeff Patton, Aaron Carson, Art Doing and Allen Samuel all delivered memorable performances. The Crew's Terry Hanson, Steve DeStefano, Shad Bustamonte, Patrick Yerger, Lane Mondeau and Juan Martinez answered. After seven innings of well-played softball, The Crew emerged victorious by a score of 12-9 and Rohlfing Law Miners headed back to Fullerton with the third place trophy.

The stage was now set for the championship game and it offered intriguing possibilities. Tucson, Arizona's Crew was on a roll, sporting a hard earned 8-1 record and resembling the proverbial Cinderella team. Their amazing return through the loser's bracket was equaled only by the perfection of Alise Electric's 7-0 mark. The game began at 12:15 p.m. and all in attendance wondered whether or not The Crew could pull off the double dip.

From the beginning we all knew we were witnessing something special. The game ebbed and flowed through seven innings with repeated lead changes. Runs were matched by runs. Defensive stops were duplicated. Going into the seventh, it was still anybody's game. The Crew's all tournament players stepped it up, only to be matched in effort by Alise Electric's Adrian Huerto, Jose Velazquez, Matt Hansen, Rego Nieto and Gregg Ponnoni. Ultimately, these player's contributions assisted the tournament MVP, Joel Ruiz, in securing the 11-10 victory. The Crew returned to Tucson, Arizona with the second place trophy, but had fought the good fight of the champion to the bitter end.

Rick Seifman presented the Championship Cup to Alise Electric at approximately 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, September 9th. Their journey through the field of fifty-eight was over. When asked for his feelings on the tournament and his achievement of being named the tournament's Most Valuable Player, Joel Ruiz looked up and said quietly, "It was a team effort. It's all about the team."

When interviewed, Rick Seifman expressed his thanks to Mike and Kim Kruger, owners of Victory Lane Sports Park, and his appreciation for their dedicated staff. He further congratulates all participating teams and reminds us that next year's "E" Nationals are to be held in Palm Springs, California.