CA Bandits/Miken go 7-0 to win the Senior Softball World Series in Des Moines
By Softball West
DES MOINES, IA - The Ca Bandits/Miken senior softball over 60 team, spent 4 days in Des Moines, Iowa, playing the best senior softball teams the country has to offer. After going 7-0, the championship rings belong to the Bandits. For some members of this team, this is the seventh World Series title in a row, starting in the 50 division.
In the two scheduled seeding games the Bandits first played against the Cruisers from Michigan, coming out on top 28-8. In the second game, the powerful Florida Legends were on the losing end of a 18-17 score.
Double elimination play began against the Penn Hills team from Pennsylvania. The mercy rule was invoked after an 18 run top of the fourth inning with the Bandits winning, 30-10. The second game of the day was against the Cruisers from Michigan, with the Bandits cruising to a 19-4 victory. The first game Saturday morning was against the Scrap Iron team from Colorado. Thanks to a 14 run sixth inning, the Bandits once again prevailed 35-19.
This set up the winner's bracket game with the two unbeaten teams facing off against each other. The Rochester Legends, winners of the 60 Major title last year in the World Series, came out on the losing end of the winner's bracket contest, losing to the Bandits, 22-14.
On Sunday morning the Bandits showed up at the park to play the Florida Legends who came out of the loser's bracket. After seven grueling innings, the Bandits beat the Legends, 32-16 to claim the over 60 World Series title.
The Bandits outscored their opponents 184-88 and had a team batting average of .685. Named All Tourney were Hank Cleuss, Doc DeMarco, Dave Coufal and Tom Best.
Of significance during the tourney
Tom French hit his 1,000th homerun in slow pitch softball during one of Saturdays games. French is from Woodland, California, and has been playing softball his entire adult life.
Gary Tryhorn and Al Oxley have won this tournament seven years in a row, with the California Rebels in 1998, Old A's from 1999 thru 2003 and now in their first year with the Bandits.