Softball teams from Tampa dominated the 19th Annual Gasparilla Softball Tournament the weekend of Feb. 15-17, taking home first place trophies in both divisions.
In all, 67 teams competed in the annual tournament on the fields of the Greco Softball Complex in Tampa and the Woodlawn complex in St. Petersburg. The cooler, windy temperatures made morning games more challenging than in years past, but rain held off through the weekend as a cold front settled into the area.
In the C-Division, the Tampa Beefs fended off the New Orleans Master Batters to take home the first place trophy, which meant the Master Batters took the second place title back to Louisiana. The Bill’s Blue Crush from Fort Lauderdale finished third in the division.
The newly formed Tampa Ducks edged out fellow Tampa Bay team the Panthers to secure a first place finish in the D-Division, which had 35 teams competing this year. The Panthers’ second place trophy stayed in Tampa while the third place prize fell to the Madison Big Cheese.
There were no other divisions in this year’s Gasparilla Softball Classic. The regular season for the Suncoast Softball League, which puts on the Gasparilla tournament, begins March 3. For more information, visit SuncoastSoftball.org.
