Russell Real Estate's Randy Fithian makes the play at 2nd. Smedes photo.

SPARKS, NV - The Shadow Mountain Sports Complex in Sparks, Nevada played host to the 5th annual Northern California Senior Softball Association (NCSSA) Championships, as four divisions of seniors came east to the beautiful Northern Nevada Sierra region to try and stake their claim to senior softball supremacy for 2005.

The 65+ division had six teams in the draw and it was a competitive bracket as no team finished undefeated. The State Roofing Royals took top honors with a 6-1 tournament mark as they defeated second place finisher, The Gamblers, 17-7 in the championship finale. The Gamblers finished the draw with a 4-3 record. Third place went to the Palo Alto Chiefs with a 4-3 record and the fourth place slot went to the California Oaks who recorded a tournament record of 2-5.

In the 60+ division, seven teams battled for championship hardware. It was a bracket of have and have not’s as the top four finishers dominated pool play, then beat each other up in semi-final and final rounds.

The California Bald Eagles and the NorCal Speed Limit each finished with identical 6-2 records but the Eagles were awarded first place due to a better-run differential over the eight games played. Third place, with a record of 4-4, went to the Valley Seniors. Wildwood West Realty finished fourth with a tournament mark of 5-3.

Seven teams faced off in the 55+ division bracket but it was the 55 Old Dawgs who swept their way through pool play with a 6-0 record, then held on through a dramatic championship round with a thrilling 18-17 victory over second place Russell Real Estate to win the division. The Old Dawgs finished at 8-1 while Russell Real Estate posted a 6-3 tournament mark. Third place Reno Express and fourth place Mauraders finished with identical records of 4-4.

The 50+ division had a small three-team field and it was the Old Dawgs 50 squad that pounded their way to a 5-1 tournament record and took home first place. Bay Area 50 Blasters finished second with a 3-4 tournament mark and Sierra Nevada 50 came in third after posting a record of 1-4.